WASHINGTON, D.C. – The United States removed Costa Rica from its blacklist of countries that traffic people, according to the State Department’s annual Trafficking in Persons Report, issued Tuesday.
Costa Rica was in the “under observation group” last year, along with the Dominican Republic and Panama, but the three countries were removed from this year’s list thanks to their achievements, the report noted.
Cuba remains the only Latin American country on the list, where it has been for the past 10 years. “Cuba does not fully comply with the minimum standards for being removed from the trafficking list and is not making any significant efforts either,” said the annual report presented by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
The blacklist is composed mainly of African and Asian countries and carries penalties including elimination of all U.S. aid.
