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Morocco does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking in persons, according to the United States Department of State. In its recent 2024 report on the topic, it revealed that the Moroccan government, however, has been making significant efforts to eliminate human trafficking compared with the previous years, securing a Tier 2 position.
These efforts consist, according to the US Department of State, of «increasing prosecutions and implementing the NRM, The National Referral Mechanism (NRM) which is a framework for identifying victims of human trafficking or modern slavery and ensuring they receive appropriate support». It also included «approving and publishing a victim identification guide, establishing a trafficking-specific hotline, and coordinating with NGOs and international organizations to begin establishing specialized trafficking shelters».
Despite the progress and the implementation of the directives, the Moroccan government still fails to meet the minimum standards in several key areas. The report details that the US State Department specialized shelter and services for trafficking victims remained insufficient and that the Moroccan government «did not report providing financial or in-kind support to civil society organizations providing victim services».
Furthermore, the report argues that because of the «uneven application of new identification and referral procedures», Morocco «inconsistently referred identified victims to shelter and services».
Identifying trafficking victims
Moreover, Moroccan authorities «rarely identified or provided services to foreign trafficking victims», despite high trafficking risks for migrants and refugees in the kingdom.
«Lack of consistent proactive screening and identification measures continued to leave certain populations, such as undocumented migrants, vulnerable to authorities inappropriately penalizing them solely for unlawful acts committed as a direct result of being trafficked, including immigration violations».
In addition to that, the US State Department indicates in its report that Morocco’s national anti-trafficking commission «lacked adequate resources and personnel to effectively coordinate government efforts to combat trafficking».
In its report, the US enlists a series of recommendations to help Morocco better fight against human trafficking. It urges the country to implement procedures to proactively identify trafficking victims, especially among vulnerable populations such as undocumented migrants, and significantly increase efforts to screen for trafficking among these populations.
It also calls on Morocco to implement a multi-pronged approach. This includes strengthening laws and enforcement, providing comprehensive support services for victims, and raising public awareness. Specifically, resources should be directed towards training authorities, expanding victim protection programs, and improving data collection to better target these crimes.
