US adds Vietnam, Cambodia, Macau to trafficking blacklist

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaking during the 2022 Trafficking in Persons Report launch ceremony at the State Department in Washington, DC. - Reuters

WASHINGTON (AFP): The United States on Tuesday added Vietnam, Cambodia, Brunei and Macau to a human trafficking blacklist, alleging weak efforts to stop forced sex work or assist migrant labourers.

In an annual report, the United States also added authoritarian-ruled Belarus to the blacklist and, in a rare criticism of a Western ally, put Bulgaria on a watchlist over concerns it is not taking trafficking seriously.