SEYCHELLES: Tier 2 Watch List
The Government of Seychelles does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so. The government demonstrated significant efforts during the reporting period by continuing to prosecute a suspected trafficker, providing assistance to four trafficking victims from a 2016 case, and collaborating with an international organization to develop implementing regulations for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons Act of 2014. However, the government did not demonstrate increasing efforts compared to the previous reporting period. The government did not report allocating funds for victim services, did not have any comprehensive shelters or care facilities available for trafficking victims, and did not implement its standard operating procedures or victim assistance mechanism, resulting in the government not identifying any trafficking victims during the year. The government also did not initiate any new investigations or prosecutions, or convict any traffickers, and did not provide adequate anti-trafficking training for its personnel. The government did not inspect employers of, or screen for indicators of trafficking among, potential labor trafficking victims within the Seychelles International Trade Zone (SITZ) despite vulnerability to trafficking among migrant labor in the country. The government did not have an active anti-trafficking committee that drove national anti-trafficking efforts. Therefore Seychelles was downgraded to Tier 2 Watch List.