Blacklist of countries that have failed to stop trafficking in people.

The United States has expanded its blacklist of countries that have failed to stop trafficking in people. Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, and Qatar have now joined Algeria, Burma, Cuba, Equatorial Guinea, Iran, Malaysia, Myanmar, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Uzbekistan, and Venezuela on the "third tier" and could face U.S. sanctions. Current figures show that 800,000 people--of whom 80 percent are women and girls--are trafficked across national borders each year.

Karen Ann Gajewski is a freelance editor and an editorial consultant to the Humanist.