[ Human Trafficking, Country-by-Country ]

COLOMBIA (Tier 1) – Extracted in part from the U.S. State Dept 2023 TIP Report

The Government of Colombia meets the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking.  The government continued to demonstrate serious and sustained efforts during the reporting period, considering the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, if any, on its anti-trafficking capacity; therefore Colombia remained on Tier 1.  These efforts included adopting a trafficking victim identification protocol for migrants, identifying more victims, developing an anti-trafficking strategy for prosecutors, and partnering with international organizations to train labor inspectors on forced labor issues.  Although the government meets the minimum standards, judicial authorities did not criminally prosecute or convict labor trafficking cases, and efforts to prosecute or convict complicit officials were insufficient.  Trafficking convictions decreased for the fourth year in a row and reached a 10-year low.  Additionally, adult trafficking and labor trafficking victims did not receive adequate services, despite making up 95 percent of those identified.

Prioritized Recommendations

Combat forced labor by proactively identifying victims and criminally investigating and prosecuting labor traffickers.

Improve victim services by authorizing and financing government ministries and agencies to provide departments and municipalities with funding for the direct and specialized provision of services for adult trafficking victims and victims of forced labor.

Criminally investigate and prosecute officials complicit in facilitating or perpetrating trafficking crimes.

Vigorously investigate and prosecute trafficking crimes, and seek adequate penalties for convicted traffickers, which should involve significant prison terms.

Ensure victims are not inappropriately penalized solely for unlawful acts committed as a direct result of being trafficked.

Revise the definition of human trafficking under Colombian law to align more closely with the 2000 UN TIP Protocol definition.

Draft, approve, and fund a victim identification protocol for law enforcement and train authorities on its use.

Expand training for border officials on the newly developed victim identification protocol for migrants and establish a referral mechanism to route trafficking cases for criminal prosecution.