US Keeps Maldives on Trafficking Watch List with One-Time Waiver from Downgrade

The United States has kept the Maldives on the Tier 2 Watch List of its annual Trafficking in Persons Report for a third consecutive year, using a waiver that spared the country an automatic downgrade to Tier 3, the lowest ranking.

The State Department released the 2026 report on 8 October. It says the Maldives government “does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking” and did not show overall increasing efforts compared with the previous year. The report covers the period from 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026.

One Waiver Allowed

Under the Trafficking Victims Protection Act, a country ranked on the Watch List for two consecutive years is placed on Tier 3 in the third year unless a waiver is granted. The report says the waiver can be used only once, and that in the following year a country must either move up to Tier 2 or down to Tier 3.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio signed a determination on 8 October waiving the downgrade for the Maldives, Algeria, Fiji, Kyrgyzstan, Nepal, Rwanda and Zimbabwe.

The accompanying memorandum says the Maldives’ national anti-human trafficking coordination committee finalised and adopted a national action plan for 2026–2029, and that the government devoted personnel and resources to carrying it out.

Governments on Tier 3 may face US restrictions on non-humanitarian, non-trade-related foreign assistance, according to the report. The US President may also instruct US representatives at multilateral development banks and the IMF to vote against most loans to them. Both measures can be waived.

No Victims Identified

The report says the government did not start any new trafficking investigations for a second consecutive year, and did not prosecute or convict any traffickers for a third. It identified no victims, compared with none in 2024 and two in 2023. Police screened more than 70 people in cases with trafficking indicators but identified none of them as victims.

Investigations begun in 2019 by police and the Anti-Corruption Commission into 20 labour recruitment agencies, including current or former immigration officers, had no reported outcome, the report says. It says a December 2025 verdict that convicted a Bangladeshi national of bribery and other offences named three immigration officials who received bribes, and that they continue to work while reportedly under police investigation.

The government has no shelter for trafficking victims, although it can provide temporary accommodation in private guesthouses, according to the report.

Migrant Workers

The report says foreign migrant workers make up about one-third of the Maldives’ population, and that withheld passports and unpaid wages were the most common trafficking indicators. The Labour Relations Authority received 546 complaints of unpaid wages and 111 of withheld passports, which it resolved through mediation or fines.

It credits the government with launching a migrant worker resource centre and a grievance portal with an international organisation in June 2025. The portal received 15 general complaints from migrant workers between July and November. Funding for the government’s anti-trafficking office rose to MVR797,168 from MVR292,449, though the report says the office remained severely understaffed.

The report also says police reported the misuse of tourist and work visas to bring foreign nationals into the Maldives for sex trafficking at spas and guesthouses.

Government’s Position

In a message for the World Day Against Trafficking in Persons on 30 July, President Mohamed Muizzu said Operation Kurangi had sharply reduced unverified work permits and improved biometric coverage of the foreign workforce, according to the President’s Office.

He also cited the first national action plan on human trafficking, the first statutory annual report on anti-trafficking efforts to Parliament and the Migrant Workers Resource Centre. He said the 2026–2029 strategic plan set out improved victim identification and protection, and stronger investigation and prosecution.