CABO VERDE · UNITED STATES · HUMAN RIGHTS
Key Facts
- —What happened The US State Department’s 2026 Trafficking in Persons Report upgrades Cabo Verde from the Tier 2 Watch List to Tier 2, one year after downgrading it.
- —Why it moved The government opened one trafficking prosecution after none the year before, identified and helped one victim, trained police and border officers and updated its procedures.
- —What is still missing No trafficker was convicted for the second year running, and the government listed no investigations of officials for complicity.
- —The local view Cabo Verde’s national anti-trafficking observatory calls the upgrade recognition that brings more responsibility, while 19 complaints of suspected trafficking from 2015 to 2025 led to one final conviction.
- —For travellers Sex trafficking remains a significant threat in tourist areas, and the beach island of Sal is a priority area for anti-trafficking work.
Cabo Verde has climbed out of the US government’s watch list on human trafficking, with the State Department’s 2026 Trafficking in Persons Report moving the island nation up to Tier 2. The report credits the government in Praia with opening a trafficking prosecution after none the year before, but notes that no trafficker was convicted.
For American readers, the ranking matters because the annual report shapes US aid decisions and flags risks in the beach resorts that foreign tourists visit. The head of the country’s anti-trafficking observatory said on Tuesday, 13 October, that the upgrade is recognition of progress but also “gives us more responsibility.”
What the US Report Says
The State Department ranks governments on four main levels, from Tier 1 for those that fully meet US minimum standards to Tier 3 for those making no significant efforts. Tier 2 means a government does not fully meet the standards but is making significant efforts, while the Tier 2 Watch List adds a warning that efforts are not increasing or that victim numbers are very significant or rising without a proportional response.
In its 2025 report, the State Department downgraded Cabo Verde to the Watch List because it did not show increasing efforts, reporting no prosecutions, convictions or identified victims. In 2026 it found overall increasing efforts and upgraded the country to Tier 2.
The government investigated two trafficking cases, the same number as the year before, and started one prosecution after none in the previous period. Six investigations and one prosecution from earlier years are still open, and Cabo Verde’s penal code punishes sex and labour trafficking with four to 12 years in prison.
The authorities identified and assisted one victim, a Nigerian exploited in forced labour, and granted one victim a residence permit. In May 2025 they also merged their guides on identifying victims, investigating cases and coordinating agencies into a single manual of standard operating procedures.
Who Is Involved
Cabo Verde is an archipelago of about half a million people in the Atlantic off Senegal, where tourism is a leading industry. Its National Observatory against Trafficking in Persons, known by its Portuguese initials ONTP, coordinates government agencies on the issue under the oversight of the justice ministry.
The observatory is led by José Luís Vaz, who spoke in Praia at the opening of a meeting with civil society groups and social partners. The High Authority for Immigration, a state body for migrants, works with the observatory on prevention and on the integration of immigrants.
What Cabo Verde Says
“It is recognition of the work being done, but we must also accept that this assessment gives us more responsibility,” Vaz told reporters, according to the national news agency Inforpress. He said investigation and criminal accountability for traffickers still need more attention.
Between 2015 and 2025, the country recorded 19 reports of suspected trafficking but only one case ended in a final conviction, because several reports lacked the evidence to prove the crime. Vaz said immigrants make up about 2% of the population and called them a group at risk of trafficking.
The observatory has signed a cooperation protocol with Cabo Verde’s platform of non-governmental organisations and is drafting an action plan with it. Vaz said a national civil society forum on trafficking will be held soon.
What It Means for US Readers
Governments on Tier 3 can lose US nonhumanitarian, non-trade aid and face US votes against their loans at the International Monetary Fund and development banks, unless the president waives the penalties. Moving from the Watch List to Tier 2 takes Cabo Verde a step further away from that risk.
For American visitors, the report says sex trafficking remains a significant threat in tourist areas and that taxi drivers and hotel employees help exploit minors. Cabo Verde supports a tourism code of conduct against sexual exploitation by tourists, and US law allows Americans who sexually abuse children abroad to be prosecuted at home.
The report also counts 77 Cuban regime-affiliated medical workers in Cabo Verde whom the Cuban government may have forced to work, under a bilateral deal that keeps the regime as intermediary. A 2026 US spending law restricts some aid to countries listed two years running for paying Cuba directly for such labour, although the report does not say whether Cabo Verde faces that.
What Is Not Known
The report does not say how the one prosecution has progressed or whether it will end in a conviction. It also does not explain why no cases of official complicity were pursued.
It is not known how many trafficking victims go unidentified in Cabo Verde, since the report calls identification efforts limited. The date of the national civil society forum has not been announced.
Frequently Asked Questions
What tier is Cabo Verde in the 2026 US trafficking report?
Cabo Verde is on Tier 2, up from the Tier 2 Watch List in 2025. Tier 2 means it does not fully meet US minimum standards but is making significant efforts.
Was Cabo Verde on a US blacklist?
Local media called it a blacklist, but the Tier 2 Watch List is a warning level, not the lowest ranking. The lowest level is Tier 3, which can bring US aid restrictions.
Why did the United States upgrade Cabo Verde?
The government opened one prosecution after none the previous year, identified and assisted one victim, trained officials and updated its procedures. It still convicted no traffickers.
Is trafficking a risk for tourists in Cabo Verde?
The report says sex trafficking remains a significant threat in tourist areas and that taxi drivers and hotel staff help facilitate the exploitation of minors. US law lets Americans who sexually abuse children abroad be prosecuted at home.
Sources: US Department of State, 2026 Trafficking in Persons Report, Cabo Verde chapter; US Department of State, 2025 Trafficking in Persons Report, Cabo Verde chapter; US Department of State, 2026 Trafficking in Persons Report, tier definitions and Tier 3 restrictions; Inforpress, 13 October 2026. All retrieved 14 October 2026.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief