The U.S. plans to laud Malaysia for improving efforts to combat human trafficking in an upcoming annual report just a year after blacklisting the Southeast Asian country for failing to protect men, women and children forced into modern-day slavery.
A U.S. government source, who spoke on condition of anonymity on Wednesday because the report has not been released, says Malaysia will be upgraded back onto a watch list next week when Secretary of State John Kerry launches the annual U.S. assessment of how 188 governments around the world have performed in fighting the flesh trade and other forms of exploitative labor.
It’s a quick improvement from 2014, when Malaysia, and neighboring Thailand, were among 23 countries to receive the lowest ranking, “tier 3.” Incumbents at that level included Iran, North Korea, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Syria and Zimbabwe.
