Such annual reports are mandated under the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (TVPA), which aims to ensure the just and effective punishment of traffickers in persons, the protection and rehabilitation of their victims, and the prevention of such trafficking. A recent court opinion that interpreted the TVPA noted that it is intended to define and expand the antislavery laws that would apply in trafficking situations, so as to reflect modern perceptions of victimization. The introductory section of this report defines TIP, identifies the human and societal costs of TIP, identifies TIP causes and traffickers' methods, and discusses effective strategies for combating TIP. This is followed by a section that describes international best practices for countering TIP, followed by a report on the "tier" placements of countries based on an assessment of their responses to TIP. This year's report has included more county analyses as a result of expanded research and a wider range of sources. There is also expanded coverage of labor slavery, particularly internal labor trafficking. In the tier placements, a country that fails to take significant actions to bring itself into compliance with the minimum standards for the elimination of TIP receives a negative "Tier 3" assessment. Such an assessment could trigger the withholding of nonhumanitarian, nontrade-related assistance to that country from the United States. This report also contains maps with regional law enforcement statistics, country narratives, special cases, the efforts of the U.S. Government to combat TIP, pertinent international conventions, and TVPA provisions.