U.S. Downgrades Iran on Sex-Trade Record
Iran is one of the world’s worst offenders in allowing women to be sold into the sex trade, the United States said in an annual report on human trafficking worldwide.
The State Department downgraded Iran into its worst category, which includes 12 nations assessed to have done little to stop the trade, which involves as many as 800,000 victims.
The report cites a 16-year-old trafficking victim who was publicly hanged in Iran for having sex outside of marriage.
The report acknowledges that the United States had paid contractors in Iraq who were later found to have committed abuse of foreign laborers.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
