Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 232 / Wednesday, December 2, 2020 / Notices 77481 

or function delegated by this delegation 

of authority. 

This delegation of authority does not 

amend, supersede, or affect the validity 

of any other delegation of authority 

dealing with submission of reports to 

the Congress. This delegation of 

authority shall be published in the 

Federal Register. 

Dated: November 3, 2020. 

Michael R. Pompeo, 

Secretary of State. 

[FR Doc. 2020–26540 Filed 12–1–20; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4710–27– P 

DEPARTMENT OF STATE 

[Public Notice 11271] 

Request for Information for the 2021 

Trafficking in Persons Report 

ACTION: Request for information for the 

2021 Trafficking in Persons Report. 

SUMMARY: The Department of State (‘‘the 

Department’’) requests written 

information to assist in reporting on the 

degree to which the United States and 

foreign governments meet the minimum 

standards for the elimination of 

trafficking in persons (‘‘minimum 

standards’’) that are prescribed by the 

Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 

2000, as amended (‘‘TVPA’’). This 

information will assist in the 

preparation of the Trafficking in Persons 

Report (‘‘TIP Report’’) that the 

Department submits annually to the 

U.S. Congress on governments’ concrete 

actions to meet the minimum standards. 

Foreign governments that do not meet 

the minimum standards and are not 

making significant efforts to do so may 

be subject to restrictions on 

nonhumanitarian, nontrade-related 

foreign assistance from the United 

States, as defined by the TVPA. 

Submissions must be made in writing to 

the Office to Monitor and Combat 

Trafficking in Persons at the Department 

of State by February 1, 2021. Please refer 

to the Addresses, Scope of Interest, and 

Information Sought sections of this 

Notice for additional instructions on 

submission requirements. 

DATES: Submissions must be received by 

5 p.m. on February 1, 2021. 

ADDRESSES: Written submissions and 

supporting documentation may be 

submitted by the following method: 

• Email: tipreport@state.gov for 

submissions related to foreign 

governments and tipreportUS@state.gov 

for submissions related to the United 

States. 

Scope of Interest: The Department 

requests information relevant to 

assessing the United States’ and foreign 

governments’ concrete actions to meet 

the minimum standards for the 

elimination of trafficking in persons 

during the reporting period (April 1, 

2020–March 31, 2021). The minimum 

standards are listed in the Background 

section. Submissions must include 

information relevant to efforts to meet 

the minimum standards and should 

include, but need not be limited to, 

answering the questions in the 

Information Sought section. 

Submissions need not include answers 

to all the questions; only those 

questions for which the submitter has 

direct professional experience should be 

answered, and that experience should 

be noted. For any critique or deficiency 

described, please provide a 

recommendation to remedy it. Note the 

country or countries that are the focus 

of the submission. 

Submissions may include written 

narratives that answer the questions 

presented in this Notice, research, 

studies, statistics, fieldwork, training 

materials, evaluations, assessments, and 

other relevant evidence of local, state/ 

provincial, and federal/central 

government efforts. To the extent 

possible, precise dates and numbers of 

officials or citizens affected should be 

included. 

Written narratives providing factual 

information should provide citations of 

sources, and copies of and links to the 

source material should be provided. 

Please send electronic copies of the 

entire submission, including source 

material. If primary sources are used, 

such as research studies, interviews, 

direct observations, or other sources of 

quantitative or qualitative data, provide 

details on the research or data-gathering 

methodology and any supporting 

documentation. The Department only 

includes in the TIP Report information 

related to trafficking in persons as 

defined by the TVPA; it does not 

include, and is therefore not seeking, 

information on prostitution, migrant 

smuggling, visa fraud, or child abuse, 

unless such crimes also involve the 

elements of sex trafficking or forced 

labor. 

Confidentiality: Please provide the 

name, phone number, and email address 

of a single point of contact for any 

submission. It is Department practice 

not to identify in the TIP Report 

information concerning sources to 

safeguard those sources. Please note, 

however, that any information 

submitted to the Department may be 

releasable pursuant to the provisions of 

the Freedom of Information Act or other 

applicable law. Submissions related to 

the United States will be shared with 

U.S. government agencies, as will 

submissions relevant to efforts by other 

U.S. government agencies. 

Response: This is a request for 

information only; there will be no 

response to submissions. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

1. Background 

Definitions: The TVPA defines 

‘‘severe forms of trafficking in persons’’ 

as: 

• Sex trafficking: The recruitment, 

harboring, transportation, provision, 

obtaining, patronizing, or soliciting of a 

person for the purpose of a commercial 

sex act that is induced by force, fraud, 

or coercion, or in which the person 

induced to perform such act has not 

attained 18 years of age. 

• Forced labor (also known as labor 

trafficking): The recruitment, harboring, 

transportation, provision, or obtaining 

of a person for labor or services, through 

the use of force, fraud, or coercion, for 

the purposes of involuntary servitude, 

peonage, debt bondage, or slavery. 

• Child soldiering: Child soldiering is 

a form of human trafficking when a 

government armed group, (including 

police or other security force), 

paramilitary organization, rebel group, 

or other non-state armed group 

unlawfully recruits or uses children— 

through force, fraud, or coercion—as 

combatants or in other support roles, 

including as cooks, porters, guards, 

messengers, medics, guards, servants, 

spies, or sex slaves. 

The TIP Report: The TIP Report is the 

most comprehensive worldwide report 

on governments’ efforts to combat 

trafficking in persons. It represents an 

annually updated, global look at the 

nature and scope of trafficking in 

persons and the broad range of 

government actions to confront and 

eliminate it. The U.S. government uses 

the TIP Report to inform diplomacy, to 

encourage partnership in creating and 

implementing laws and policies to 

combat trafficking, and to target 

resources on prevention, protection, and 

prosecution programs. Worldwide, 

international organizations, foreign 

governments, and nongovernmental 

organizations use the TIP Report as a 

tool to examine where resources are 

most needed. Prosecuting traffickers, 

protecting victims, and preventing 

trafficking are the ultimate goals of the 

TIP Report and of the U.S government’s 

anti-trafficking policy. 

The Department prepares the TIP 

Report with information from across the 

U.S. government, foreign government 

officials, nongovernmental and 

international organizations, survivors of 

trafficking in persons, published 

77482 Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 232 / Wednesday, December 2, 2020 / Notices 

reports, and research trips to every 

region. The TIP Report focuses on 

concrete actions that governments take 

to fight trafficking in persons, including 

prosecutions, convictions, and 

sentences for traffickers, as well as 

victim identification and protection 

measures and prevention efforts. Each 

TIP Report narrative also includes 

prioritized recommendations for each 

country. These recommendations are 

used to assist the Department in 

measuring governments’ progress from 

one year to the next and determining 

whether governments meet the 

minimum standards for the elimination 

of trafficking in persons or are making 

significant efforts to do so. 

The TVPA creates a four-tier ranking 

system. Tier placement is based 

principally on the extent of concrete 

government action to combat trafficking. 

The Department first evaluates whether 

the government fully meets the TVPA’s 

minimum standards for the elimination 

of trafficking. Governments that do so 

are placed on Tier 1. For other 

governments, the Department considers 

the extent of such efforts. Governments 

that are making significant efforts to 

meet the minimum standards are placed 

on Tier 2. Governments that do not fully 

meet the minimum standards and are 

not making significant efforts to do so 

are placed on Tier 3. Finally, the 

Department considers Special Watch 

List criteria and, when applicable, 

places countries on Tier 2 Watch List. 

For more information, the 2020 TIP 

Report can be found at www.state.gov/ 

reports/2020-trafficking-in-personsreport/. 

Since the inception of the TIP Report 

in 2001, the number of countries 

included and ranked has more than 

doubled; the 2020 TIP Report included 

188 countries and territories. Around 

the world, the TIP Report and the 

promising practices reflected therein 

have inspired legislation, national 

action plans, policy implementation, 

program funding, protection 

mechanisms that complement 

prosecution efforts, and a stronger 

global understanding of this crime. 

Since 2003, the primary reporting on 

the United States’ anti-trafficking 

activities has been through the annual 

Attorney General’s Report to Congress 

and Assessment of U.S. Government 

Activities to Combat Human Trafficking 

(‘‘AG Report’’) mandated by section 105 

of the TVPA (22 U.S.C. 7103(d)(7)). 

Since 2010, the TIP Report, through a 

collaborative interagency process, has 

included an assessment of U.S. 

government anti-trafficking efforts in 

light of the minimum standards to 

eliminate trafficking in persons set forth 

by the TVPA. 

II. Minimum Standards for the 

Elimination of Trafficking in Persons 

The TVPA sets forth the minimum 

standards for the elimination of 

trafficking in persons as follows: 

(1) The government of the country 

should prohibit severe forms of 

trafficking in persons and punish acts of 

such trafficking. 

(2) For the knowing commission of 

any act of sex trafficking involving 

force, fraud, coercion, or in which the 

victim of sex trafficking is a child 

incapable of giving meaningful consent, 

or of trafficking which includes rape or 

kidnapping or which causes a death, the 

government of the country should 

prescribe punishment commensurate 

with that for grave crimes, such as 

forcible sexual assault. 

(3) For the knowing commission of 

any act of a severe form of trafficking in 

persons, the government of the country 

should prescribe punishment that is 

sufficiently stringent to deter and that 

adequately reflects the heinous nature of 

the offense. 

(4) The government of the country 

should make serious and sustained 

efforts to eliminate severe forms of 

trafficking in persons. 

The following factors should be 

considered as indicia of serious and 

sustained efforts to eliminate severe 

forms of trafficking in persons: 

(1) Whether the government of the 

country vigorously investigates and 

prosecutes acts of severe forms of 

trafficking in persons, and convicts and 

sentences persons responsible for such 

acts, that take place wholly or partly 

within the territory of the country, 

including, as appropriate, requiring 

incarceration of individuals convicted 

of such acts. For purposes of the 

preceding sentence, suspended or 

significantly reduced sentences for 

convictions of principal actors in cases 

of severe forms of trafficking in persons 

shall be considered, on a case-by-case 

basis, whether to be considered as an 

indicator of serious and sustained 

efforts to eliminate severe forms of 

trafficking in persons. After reasonable 

requests from the Department of State 

for data regarding investigations, 

prosecutions, convictions, and 

sentences, a government which does not 

provide such data, consistent with the 

capacity of such government to obtain 

such data, shall be presumed not to 

have vigorously investigated, 

prosecuted, convicted, or sentenced 

such acts. During the periods prior to 

the annual report submitted on June 1, 

2004, and on June 1, 2005, and the 

periods afterwards until September 30 

of each such year, the Secretary of State 

may disregard the presumption 

contained in the preceding sentence if 

the government has provided some data 

to the Department of State regarding 

such acts and the Secretary has 

determined that the government is 

making a good faith effort to collect 

such data. 

(2) Whether the government of the 

country protects victims of severe forms 

of trafficking in persons and encourages 

their assistance in the investigation and 

prosecution of such trafficking, 

including provisions for legal 

alternatives to their removal to countries 

in which they would face retribution or 

hardship, and ensures that victims are 

not inappropriately incarcerated, fined, 

or otherwise penalized solely for 

unlawful acts as a direct result of being 

trafficked, including by providing 

training to law enforcement and 

immigration officials regarding the 

identification and treatment of 

trafficking victims using approaches 

that focus on the needs of the victims. 

(3) Whether the government of the 

country has adopted measures to 

prevent severe forms of trafficking in 

persons, such as measures to inform and 

educate the public, including potential 

victims, about the causes and 

consequences of severe forms of 

trafficking in persons, measures to 

establish the identity of local 

populations, including birth 

registration, citizenship, and 

nationality, measures to ensure that its 

nationals who are deployed abroad as 

part of a diplomatic, peacekeeping, or 

other similar mission do not engage in 

or facilitate severe forms of trafficking in 

persons or exploit victims of such 

trafficking, a transparent system for 

remediating or punishing such public 

officials as a deterrent, measures to 

prevent the use of forced labor or child 

labor in violation of international 

standards, effective bilateral, 

multilateral, or regional information 

sharing and cooperation arrangements 

with other countries, and effective 

policies or laws regulating foreign labor 

recruiters and holding them civilly and 

criminally liable for fraudulent 

recruiting. 

(4) Whether the government of the 

country cooperates with other 

governments in the investigation and 

prosecution of severe forms of 

trafficking in persons and has entered 

into bilateral, multilateral, or regional 

law enforcement cooperation and 

coordination arrangements with other 

countries. 

(5) Whether the government of the 

country extradites persons charged with 

Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 232 / Wednesday, December 2, 2020 / Notices 77483 

acts of severe forms of trafficking in 

persons on substantially the same terms 

and to substantially the same extent as 

persons charged with other serious 

crimes (or, to the extent such extradition 

would be inconsistent with the laws of 

such country or with international 

agreements to which the country is a 

party, whether the government is taking 

all appropriate measures to modify or 

replace such laws and treaties so as to 

permit such extradition). 

(6) Whether the government of the 

country monitors immigration and 

emigration patterns for evidence of 

severe forms of trafficking in persons 

and whether law enforcement agencies 

of the country respond to any such 

evidence in a manner that is consistent 

with the vigorous investigation and 

prosecution of acts of such trafficking, 

as well as with the protection of human 

rights of victims and the internationally 

recognized human right to leave any 

country, including one’s own, and to 

return to one’s own country. 

(7) Whether the government of the 

country vigorously investigates, 

prosecutes, convicts, and sentences 

public officials, including diplomats 

and soldiers, who participate in or 

facilitate severe forms of trafficking in 

persons, including nationals of the 

country who are deployed abroad as 

part of a diplomatic, peacekeeping, or 

other similar mission who engage in or 

facilitate severe forms of trafficking in 

persons or exploit victims of such 

trafficking, and takes all appropriate 

measures against officials who condone 

such trafficking. A government’s failure 

to appropriately address public 

allegations against such public officials, 

especially once such officials have 

returned to their home countries, shall 

be considered inaction under these 

criteria. After reasonable requests from 

the Department of State for data 

regarding such investigations, 

prosecutions, convictions, and 

sentences, a government which does not 

provide such data consistent with its 

resources shall be presumed not to have 

vigorously investigated, prosecuted, 

convicted, or sentenced such acts. 

During the periods prior to the annual 

report submitted on June 1, 2004, and 

June 1, 2005, and the periods afterwards 

until September 30 of each such year, 

the Secretary of State may disregard the 

presumption contained in the preceding 

sentence if the government has provided 

some data to the Department of State 

regarding such acts and the Secretary 

has determined that the government is 

making a good faith effort to collect 

such data. 

(8) Whether the percentage of victims 

of severe forms of trafficking in the 

country that are non-citizens of such 

countries is insignificant. 

(9) Whether the government has 

entered into effective, transparent 

partnerships, cooperative arrangements, 

or agreements that have resulted in 

concrete and measurable outcomes with 

(A) domestic civil society 

organizations, private sector entities, or 

international nongovernmental 

organizations, or into multilateral or 

regional arrangements or agreements, to 

assist the government’s efforts to 

prevent trafficking, protect victims, and 

punish traffickers; or 

(B) the United States toward agreed 

goals and objectives in the collective 

fight against trafficking. 

(10) Whether the government of the 

country, consistent with the capacity of 

such government, systematically 

monitors its efforts to satisfy the criteria 

described in paragraphs (1) through (8) 

and makes available publicly a periodic 

assessment of such efforts. 

(11) Whether the government of the 

country achieves appreciable progress 

in eliminating severe forms of 

trafficking when compared to the 

assessment in the previous year. 

(12) Whether the government of the 

country has made serious and sustained 

efforts to reduce the demand for 

(A) commercial sex acts; and 

(B) participation in international sex 

tourism by nationals of the country. 

III. Information Sought Relevant to the 

Minimum Standards 

Submissions should include, but need 

not be limited to, answers to relevant 

questions below for which the submitter 

has direct professional experience. 

Citations to source material should also 

be provided. Note the country or 

countries that are the focus of the 

submission. Please see the Scope of 

Interest section above for detailed 

information regarding submission 

requirements. 

Trafficking Profile 

1. Describe the country’s trafficking 

situation, including the forms of 

trafficking that occur, industries and 

sectors in which traffickers exploit 

victims, countries/regions in which 

traffickers recruit victims, locations and 

regions in which trafficking occurs, and 

recruitment methods. What groups are 

at particular risk of human trafficking? 

Are citizens of the country identified as 

victims of human trafficking abroad? 

Does child sex tourism occur in the 

country or involve its nationals abroad, 

and if so, in which countries? Have 

trafficking methods and trends changed 

in the past 12 months, including as a 

result of the COVID–19 pandemic? 

2. What was the extent of official 

complicity in trafficking crimes? Were 

officials—including police, immigration 

officials, diplomats, peacekeepers, 

military personnel—government 

contractors, or government grantees 

directly or indirectly facilitating or 

enabling trafficking in persons? Did they 

operate as traffickers, enable traffickers, 

or take actions that may facilitate 

trafficking (including accepting bribes to 

allow undocumented border crossings 

or suspending active investigations of 

suspected traffickers, etc.)? 

3. Was there a government policy or 

pattern of human trafficking, such as in 

government-funded or -affiliated 

services or programs within the country 

or abroad? Did government policies, 

regulations, or agreements relating to 

migration, labor, trade, and investment 

facilitate vulnerabilities to, or incidence 

of, forced labor or sex trafficking? Were 

there examples of trafficking occurring 

in state institutions (e.g., prisons, 

orphanages or child foster homes, 

institutions for mentally or physically 

disabled persons, camps, compounds, or 

outposts)? If so, what measures did the 

government take to end such practices? 

4. What proactive measures did the 

government take to prevent official 

complicity in trafficking in persons 

crimes? How did the government 

respond to reports of complicity that 

arose during the reporting period, 

including investigations, prosecutions, 

convictions, and sentencing of complicit 

officials? Were these efforts sufficient? 

5. Is there evidence that nationals of 

the country deployed abroad as part of 

a diplomatic, peacekeeping, or other 

similar mission have engaged in or 

facilitated trafficking, including in 

domestic servitude? Has the government 

vigorously investigated, prosecuted, 

convicted, and sentenced nationals 

engaged in these activities? 

Overview 

6. What were the government’s major 

accomplishments in addressing human 

trafficking since April 1, 2020? In what 

significant ways have the government’s 

efforts to combat trafficking in persons 

changed in the past year? How have 

new laws, regulations, policies, or 

implementation strategies (e.g., 

substantive criminal laws and 

procedures, mechanisms for civil 

remedies, and victim-witness security, 

generally and in relation to court 

proceedings) affected its anti-trafficking 

response? 

7. Over the past year, what were the 

greatest deficiencies in the government’s 

anti-trafficking efforts? What were the 

limitations on the government’s ability 

77484 Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 232 / Wednesday, December 2, 2020 / Notices 

to address human trafficking problems 

in practice? 

8. If the government had a national 

action plan to address trafficking, how 

was it implemented in practice? Were 

NGOs and other relevant civil society 

stakeholders consulted in the 

development and implementation of the 

plan? Did the government fund, 

partially fund, or not fund the plan? 

9. How has the COVID–19 pandemic 

affected the government’s efforts to 

coordinate, execute, and monitor its 

anti-trafficking response, if at all? How 

have anti-trafficking officials, units, and 

coordinating bodies continued to 

operate and adapt? 

10. Have investigative agencies and 

courts adapted to impacts from COVID– 

19? If so, how? Do police, prosecutors, 

and courts continue to process 

trafficking cases and/or has the volume 

of these cases changed? What has been 

the impact on officials’ ability to collect 

evidence, including victim testimony? 

11. Please provide additional 

information and/or recommendations to 

improve the government’s antitrafficking efforts overall. 

12. Please highlight effective 

strategies and practices that other 

governments could consider adopting. 

Prosecution 

13. Please provide observations 

regarding the implementation of 

existing laws, policies and procedures. 

Are there gaps in anti-trafficking 

legislation that could be amended to 

improve the government’s response? 

Are there any government policies that 

have undermined or otherwise 

negatively affected anti-trafficking 

efforts within that country? 

14. Do government officials 

understand the nature of all forms of 

trafficking? If not, please provide 

examples of misconceptions or 

misunderstandings. Did the government 

effectively provide or support antitrafficking trainings for officials? If not, 

how could they be improved? 

15. Please provide observations on 

overall anti-trafficking law enforcement 

efforts and the efforts of police and 

prosecutors to pursue trafficking cases. 

Were any trafficking cases investigated 

and/or prosecuted, and were any 

traffickers convicted during the 

reporting period—including under 

trafficking-specific laws and nontrafficking laws? Is the government 

equally vigorous in pursuing forced 

labor and sex trafficking, internal and 

transnational trafficking, and crimes 

that involve its own nationals or foreign 

citizens? If not, why? 

16. Please note any efforts to 

investigate and prosecute suspects for 

knowingly soliciting or patronizing a 

sex trafficking victim to perform a 

commercial sex act. Does law 

enforcement pursue trafficking cases 

that would hold accountable 

corporations for forced labor in supply 

chains within the country? 

17. Do judges appear appropriately 

knowledgeable and sensitized to 

trafficking cases? Do they implement 

and encourage trauma-informed 

practices in their courts? 

18. What sentences have courts 

imposed upon traffickers? Are these 

sentences generally strict enough to 

reflect the serious nature of the crime, 

and are they comparable to sentences 

for other similar crimes, such as rape 

and kidnapping? How common are 

fines, suspended sentences, and prison 

time of less than one year for convicted 

traffickers? 

Protection 

19. Did the government make a 

coordinated, proactive effort to identify 

victims of all forms of trafficking? If the 

government had any written procedures 

for screening for trafficking, were those 

procedures sufficient and implemented 

effectively by officials? What steps do 

officials take if a potential case of 

human trafficking is identified? Are 

those steps sufficient? Did officials 

effectively coordinate among one 

another and with relevant 

nongovernmental organizations to 

conduct screenings and refer victims to 

care? Is there any trafficking screening 

conducted before deportation or when 

detaining migrants, including 

unaccompanied minors? Are 

interpreters available for screening 

foreign victims? If commercial sex is 

legalized or decriminalized, how did 

health officials, labor inspectors, or 

police identify trafficking victims 

among persons involved in commercial 

sex? If commercial sex is illegal, did the 

government proactively identify 

trafficking victims during raids or other 

encounters with commercial sex 

establishments? How has the COVID–19 

pandemic affected the government’s 

victim identification and referral efforts, 

if at all? 

20. Does the government operate a 

hotline for potential victims? If so, what 

are the hours of operation? What 

languages could it accommodate? Were 

victims identified and cases referred to 

law enforcement as a result of calls to 

the hotline? What did the government 

do to publicize the hotline? Did it 

remain in operation during the COVID– 

19 pandemic? 

21. What victim services are available 

and provided (legal, medical, food, 

shelter, interpretation, mental health 

care, employment, training, etc.)? Who 

provides these services? If 

nongovernment organizations provide 

the services, does the government 

support their work either financially or 

otherwise? Are these service providers 

required to be trained on human 

trafficking and victim identification? 

How has the COVID–19 pandemic 

affected government and NGO efforts to 

provide shelter, medical, and psychosocial care to victims? 

22. What was the overall quality of 

victim care? How could victim services 

be improved? Was government funding 

for trafficking victim protection and 

assistance adequate? Are there gaps in 

access to victim services? Are services 

available regardless of geographic 

location within the country? Are 

services victim-centered and traumainformed? 

23. Are services provided adequately 

to victims of both labor and sex 

trafficking? Adults and children, 

including men and boys? Citizens and 

noncitizens of all ethnic backgrounds or 

nationalities? LGBTI persons? Persons 

with disabilities? Were such benefits 

linked to whether a victim assisted law 

enforcement or participated in a trial, or 

whether a trafficker was convicted? 

Could victims choose independently 

whether to enter a shelter, and could 

they leave at will if residing in a shelter? 

Could adult victims leave shelter 

premises unchaperoned? Could victims 

seek employment and work while 

receiving assistance? 

24. Do service providers and law 

enforcement work together 

cooperatively, for instance to share 

information about trafficking trends or 

to plan for services after a raid? What is 

the level of cooperation, 

communication, and trust between 

service providers and law enforcement? 

25. Were there means by which 

victims could obtain restitution from 

defendants in criminal cases or file civil 

suits against traffickers for damages, and 

did this happen in practice? Did 

prosecutors request and/or courts order 

restitution in all cases where it was 

required, and if not, why? 

26. How did the government 

encourage victims to assist in the 

investigation and prosecution of 

trafficking? How did the government 

protect victims during the trial process? 

If a victim was a witness in a court case, 

was the victim permitted to obtain 

employment, move freely about the 

country, or leave the country pending 

trial proceedings? How did the 

government work to ensure victims 

were not re-traumatized during 

participation in trial proceedings? Could 

victims provide testimony via video or 

Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 232 / Wednesday, December 2, 2020 / Notices 77485 

written statements? Were victims’ 

identities kept confidential as part of 

such proceedings? In what ways could 

the government support increased 

participation of victims in prosecutions 

against their traffickers? 

27. Did the government provide, 

through a formal policy or otherwise, 

temporary or permanent residency 

status, or other relief from deportation, 

for foreign victims of human trafficking 

who may face retribution or hardship in 

the countries to which they would be 

deported? Were foreign victims given 

the opportunity to seek legal 

employment while in this temporary or 

permanent residency? Were such 

benefits linked to whether a victim 

assisted law enforcement, participated 

in a trial or whether there was a 

successful prosecution? Does the 

government repatriate victims who wish 

to return home or assist with third 

country resettlement? Are victims 

awaiting repatriation or third country 

resettlement offered services? Are 

victims indeed repatriated, or are they 

deported? Did the government extend 

additional immigration relief to victims 

who would otherwise be deported or 

repatriated to countries with a high risk 

of COVID–19 infection or who could not 

return to their home countries due to 

travel restrictions? 

28. Does the government effectively 

assist its nationals exploited abroad? 

Does the government work to ensure 

victims receive adequate assistance and 

support for their repatriation while in 

destination countries? Does the 

government provide adequate assistance 

to repatriated victims after their return 

to their countries of origin, and if so, 

what forms of assistance? 

29. Does the government arrest, 

detain, imprison, or otherwise punish 

trafficking victims (whether or not 

identified as such by authorities) for 

unlawful acts their traffickers compelled 

them to commit (forgery of documents, 

illegal immigration, unauthorized 

employment, prostitution, theft, or drug 

production or transport, etc.)? If so, do 

these victims disproportionately 

represent a certain gender, race, 

ethnicity, or other group or particular 

type of trafficking? Does law 

enforcement screen for trafficking 

victims when detaining or arresting 

individuals engaged in commercial sex 

or individuals that may be at particular 

risk of human trafficking? 

Prevention 

30. What efforts has the government 

made to prevent human trafficking? 

Please describe any government-funded 

anti-trafficking information or education 

campaigns or training, whether aimed at 

the public or at specific sectors or 

stakeholders/actors. Did these 

campaigns or trainings target potential 

trafficking victims, potential first 

responders or other trusted authorities, 

known trafficking sectors or 

vulnerabilities, and/or the demand for 

human trafficking (e.g., buyers of 

commercial sex or goods produced with 

forced labor)? Does the government 

provide financial support to 

nongovernment organizations working 

to promote public awareness? 

31. How did the government regulate, 

oversee, and screen for trafficking 

indicators in the labor recruitment 

process, including for both licensed and 

unlicensed recruitment and placement 

agencies, individual recruiters, subbrokerages, and microfinance lending 

operations? Did it maintain labor 

attache ́s abroad and were they trained 

on human trafficking indicators? How 

effective were these efforts in preventing 

abuse? 

32. What did the government do to 

regulate recruitment practices that are 

known to contribute to trafficking in 

persons? Specifically, did the 

government prohibit (in any context) 

charging workers recruitment fees? Also 

indicate if the government prohibited 

the recruitment of workers through 

knowingly fraudulent job offers 

(including misrepresenting wages, 

working conditions, location, or nature 

of the job), contract switching, and 

confiscating or otherwise denying 

workers access to their identity 

documents. If there are laws or 

regulations on recruitment, did the 

government effectively enforce them? 

33. What steps did the government 

take to minimize the trafficking risks 

faced by migrant workers departing 

from or arriving in the country and to 

raise awareness among potential labor 

migrants about the risks of human 

trafficking, legal limits on recruitment 

fees, or their rights while abroad? Did 

the government coordinate with other 

governments (e.g., via bilateral 

agreements with migrant labor sending 

or receiving countries) on safe and 

responsible recruitment that included 

prevention measures to target known 

trafficking indicators? To what extent 

were these implemented? Are workers 

(both nationals of the country and 

foreign nationals) in all industries (e.g., 

domestic work, agriculture, etc.) equally 

and sufficiently protected under 

existing labor laws? 

34. What did the government do to 

ensure that its policies, regulations, and 

agreements relating to migration, labor, 

trade, and investment did not facilitate 

trafficking? 

35. How did the government’s 

response to the COVID–19 pandemic 

affect the ability of migrant workers to 

continue earning an income, to enter 

and exit the country, and to maintain 

their immigration status? What steps did 

the government take to mitigate the 

increased risk of human trafficking 

some migrant workers may have faced 

due to the pandemic (job creation or 

placement for out-of-work labor 

migrants, extension of immigration 

relief, etc.)? 

36. If the government has entered into 

bilateral, multilateral, or regional antitrafficking information-sharing and 

cooperation arrangements, are they 

effective and have they resulted in 

concrete and measurable outcomes? If 

not, why? 

37. Did the government provide 

assistance to other governments in 

combating trafficking in persons 

through trainings or other assistance 

programs? 

38. What measures has the 

government taken to reduce the 

participation by nationals of the country 

in international and domestic child sex 

tourism? 

39. Did the government take sufficient 

measures to establish the identity of 

local populations, including birth 

registration and issuance of 

documentation, citizenship, and 

nationality? 

Child Soldiering 

40. Did government officials engage 

in, support, or otherwise facilitate the 

unlawful recruitment or use of children 

in the government’s armed forces, 

police, or other security forces? [NOTE: 

This can include combat roles as well as 

support roles, but please be specific in 

this regard if possible.] Did the 

government provide support to any 

armed groups that recruited and/or used 

child soldiers in combat or support 

roles? What was the extent of the 

support (e.g., in-kind, financial, 

training, etc.)? Describe the conditions 

of military detention of child soldiers 

and/or children accused of association 

with armed groups, including: (1) The 

typical length of time the children are 

held; (2) access to legal aid and 

rehabilitation services; (3) the 

conditions of the detention facility 

including food, sanitation, crowding, 

etc. and whether children are segregated 

from adults and by gender; (4) 

allegations of suspected sexual 

exploitation while in detention, 

including of female child soldiers; and 

(5) allegations children and/or child 

soldiers are used for labor, intelligence 

gathering, or to screen other detained 

persons. 

77486 Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 232 / Wednesday, December 2, 2020 / Notices 

1The verified notice states that the Line is known 

as the Buffalo Creek & Gauley Railroad. TERRI was 

recently granted after-the-fact authority to merge 

with The Buffalo Creek Railroad Company, which 

previously owned the Line. See Elk River R.R.— 

Merger Exemption—Buffalo Creek R.R., FD 36434 

(STB served Nov. 6, 2020). 

41. Please provide observations 

regarding government efforts to address 

the issue of unlawful recruitment or use 

of children by governmental armed 

groups and/or non-state armed groups. 

Describe the government’s efforts to 

disarm and demobilize child soldiers, to 

provide protection services and 

reintegrate former child soldiers, and to 

monitor the wellbeing of such children 

after reintegration. Does the government 

have any children held in military 

detention due to their suspected roles as 

child soldiers? Do international 

monitoring organizations (e.g., UN, 

ICRC, HRW) have unhindered access to 

interview these detained children and/ 

or child soldiers and monitor the 

conditions of their detention? Describe 

the conditions of military detention of 

child soldiers and/or children accused 

of association with armed groups. Does 

the government have and/or use any 

hand-over procedures to transfer these 

children to civilian authorities? 

Catherine E. Kay, 

Deputy Director, Office to Monitor and 

Combat Trafficking in Persons, Department 

of State. 

[FR Doc. 2020–26576 Filed 12–1–20; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4710–17–P 

SURFACE TRANSPORTATION BOARD 

[Docket No. FD 36458] 

West Virginia State Rail Authority— 

Acquisition and Operation 

Exemption—The Elk River Railroad, 

Inc. 

West Virginia State Rail Authority 

(WVRA), a Class III rail carrier, has filed 

a verified notice of exemption under 49 

CFR 1150.41 to acquire from The Elk 

River Railroad, Inc. (TERRI) and operate 

approximately 18.0 miles of rail line 

extending from milepost 0.0 at Dundon 

and milepost 18.0 at Widen, in Clay 

County, W. Va. (the Line).1

WVRA states that it has executed a 

Purchase and Sale Agreement with 

TERRI to purchase the Line, plus 

connecting spur and side tracks, if any, 

appurtenant property and assets, and 

underlying real estate and right-of-way. 

WVRA states that, after consummation, 

it will own and operate the Line as a 

common carrier and will assume all 

common carrier rights and obligations 

with respect thereto. 

WVRA certifies that the proposed 

acquisition and operation of the Line 

does not involve a provision or 

agreement that may limit future 

interchange with a third-party 

connecting carrier. WVRA further 

certifies that its projected annual 

revenues as a result of this transaction 

will not exceed the maximum revenue 

of a Class III rail carrier and will not 

exceed $5 million. 

The transaction may be consummated 

on or after December 16, 2020, the 

effective date of the exemption (30 days 

after the verified notice was filed). 

If the verified notice contains false or 

misleading information, the exemption 

is void ab initio. Petitions to revoke the 

exemption under 49 U.S.C. 10502(d) 

may be filed at any time. The filing of 

a petition to revoke will not 

automatically stay the effectiveness of 

the exemption. Petitions for stay must 

be filed no later than December 9, 2020 

(at least seven days before the 

exemption becomes effective). 

All pleadings, referring to Docket No. 

FD 36458, should be filed with the 

Surface Transportation Board via efiling on the Board’s website. In 

addition, a copy of each pleading must 

be served on WVRA’s representative, 

Lucinda K. Butler, Executive Director, 

West Virginia State Rail Authority, 120 

Water Plant Drive, Moorefield, WV 

26836. 

According to WVRA, this action is 

categorically excluded from 

environmental review under 49 CFR 

1105.6(c) and from historic reporting 

requirements under 49 CFR 1105.8(b). 

Board decisions and notices are 

available at www.stb.gov. 

Decided: November 25, 2020. 

By the Board, Scott M. Zimmerman, Acting 

Director, Office of Proceedings. 

Kenyatta Clay, 

Clearance Clerk. 

[FR Doc. 2020–26574 Filed 12–1–20; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4915–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY 

Internal Revenue Service 

Publication of the Tier 2 Tax Rates 

AGENCY: Internal Revenue Service (IRS), 

Treasury. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: Publication of the tier 2 tax 

rates for calendar year 2021 as required 

by section 3241(d) of the Internal 

Revenue Code. Tier 2 taxes on railroad 

employees, employers, and employee 

representatives are one source of 

funding for benefits under the Railroad 

Retirement Act. 

DATES: The tier 2 tax rates for calendar 

year 2021 apply to compensation paid 

in calendar year 2021. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Kathleen Edmondson, 

CC:EEE:EOET:ET1, Internal Revenue 

Service, 1111 Constitution Avenue NW, 

Washington, DC 20224, Telephone 

Number (202) 317–6798 (not a toll-free 

number). 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: TIER 2 

TAX RATES: The tier 2 tax rate for 2021 

under section 3201(b) on employees is 

4.9 percent of compensation. The tier 2 

tax rate for 2021 under section 3221(b) 

on employers is 13.1 percent of 

compensation. The tier 2 tax rate for 

2021 under section 3211(b) on employee 

representatives is 13.1 percent of 

compensation. 

Dated: November 20, 2020. 

Rachel D. Levy, 

Associate Chief Counsel (Employee Benefits, 

Exempt Organizations and Employment 

Taxes). 

[FR Doc. 2020–26559 Filed 12–1–20; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4830–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY 

Agency Information Collection 

Activities; Proposed Collection; 

Comment Request; Request for 

Transfer of Property Seized/Forfeited 

by a Treasury Forfeiture Fund 

Participating Agency 

AGENCY: Departmental Offices, 

Department of the Treasury. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: The Department of the 

Treasury, as part of its continuing effort 

to reduce paperwork and respondent 

burden, invites the general public and 

other federal agencies to comment on 

the proposed information collections 

listed below, in accordance with the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. 

DATES: Written comments must be 

received on or before February 1, 2021. 

ADDRESSES: Send comments regarding 

the burden estimate, or any other aspect 

of the information collection, including 

suggestions for reducing the burden, to 

Treasury PRA Clearance Officer, 1750 

Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Suite 8100, 

Washington, DC 20220, or email at 

PRA@treasury.gov. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Copies of the submissions may be 

obtained from Spencer W. Clark by 

emailing PRA@treasury.gov, calling 

(202) 927–5331, or viewing the entire