The Maltese government is failing to meet minimum standards for the elimination of people trafficking, although it is making 'significant efforts' to do so, a US State Department report has said.
Malta is a source and destination country for women and children subjected to sex trafficking.
Seven new trafficking cases were investigated during 2012, an increase from three cases in 2011 and none in 2008-2010.
Female sex trafficking victims originate from China, Romania, Russia, and Ukraine, but women and children from Malta have also been found subjected to sex trafficking within the country.
There are also concerns that the 5,000 irregular migrants from African countries as well as female Filipina domestic workers and female Chinese nationals working in massage parlors may be vulnerable to human trafficking in the country’s informal labor market.
In 2012, the government identified four victims: two male labour trafficking victims from China, one female labour and sex trafficking victim from China, and one female sex trafficking victim who was internally trafficked.
This was the first instance of the Government identifying a Maltese national as a trafficking victim in at least 10 years.
None of the victims identified was a child, and the Government has not formally identified a child victim of trafficking in at least 10 years.
Two offenders were prosecuted, for both sex and labour trafficking.
In its report, the US State Department said although the Maltese government had set out identification guidelines and started to coordinate intergovernmental agreements on referring victims in to care, it lacked a formal referral mechanism.This made it harder to ensure that trafficking victims were recognised and given care.
The report said the Maltese authorities, with US government assistance, have begun training police and judges working on trafficking cases, although overall training remains insufficient.
The Government significantly increased its budget for anti-trafficking programmes and funded more training for social workers, psychologists, and other public officials.
The Government also began developing a public awareness campaign, but it was not launched during the reporting period.
The report urges the Maltese government to strengthen efforts to identify trafficking victims among vulnerable populations, particularly migrants, children, and women in prostitution.It is also urged to introduce formal standard operating procedures for victim referral, and increase efforts to investigate and prosecute offenders.