--- title: Cuba, Malaysia Removed From Human Trafficking List description: The U.S. State Department delisted Cuba and Malaysia from its human trafficking blacklist on Monday as part of an annual update to its contentious Trafficking in Persons report canonical: https://time.com/3973022/cuba-malaysia-human-trafficking/ author: Dan Kedmey article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-07-27T14:48:41.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:58:24.546Z article:section: Politics og:title: U.S. Removes Cuba, Malaysia From Human Trafficking List og:description: An estimated 20 million people worldwide are working under forced and illegal conditions og:url: https://time.com/3973022/cuba-malaysia-human-trafficking/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt892971eba9daa030/69885c90cd6848bce40a0faa/gettyimages-482124838.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3000 og:image:height: 1688 og:image:alt: US-TRAFFICKING-PEOPLE-RIGHTS og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: U.S. Removes Cuba, Malaysia From Human Trafficking List twitter:description: An estimated 20 million people worldwide are working under forced and illegal conditions twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt892971eba9daa030/69885c90cd6848bce40a0faa/gettyimages-482124838.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # U.S. Removes Cuba, Malaysia From Human Trafficking List > Sponsored content. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, three times a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ## Video: Know Right Now: Cuba and U.S. Reopen Embassies [Watch (HLS stream): Know Right Now: Cuba and U.S. Reopen Embassies](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/8Vp75JOs.m3u8) (1:01)  _Published 2015-07-01. The U.S. and Cuba are reopening embassies in each other’s capitals. Watch Know Right Now to find out more._  by [Dan Kedmey](https://time.com/author/dan-kedmey/)  ## Dan Kedmey Jul 27, 2015 2:48 PM UTC  US Secretary of State John Kerry speaks during the release of the 2015 Trafficking in Persons Report" on July 27, 2015 at the State Department in Washington, DC. US Secretary of State John Kerry speaks during the release of the 2015 Trafficking in Persons Report" on July 27, 2015 at the State Department in Washington, DC. Mandel Ngan—AFP/Getty Images  by [Dan Kedmey](https://time.com/author/dan-kedmey/)  ## Dan Kedmey Jul 27, 2015 2:48 PM UTC The U.S. State Department removed Cuba and Malaysia from its human trafficking blacklist on Monday as part of an annual update to its contentious Trafficking in Persons [report](http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/245365.pdf). The 2015 report separates 188 nations into three tiers based on their efforts to combat human trafficking. The lowest tier nations face the threat of diplomatic repercussions at the discretion of the U.S. President. Cuba and Malaysia’s ratings were watched closely this year in light of both nations’ growing economic ties with the U.S. Human rights activists [warned](http://www.humanrightsfirst.org/blog/what-look-2015-trafficking-persons-report) that a premature upgrade would hint at political favoritism and damage efforts to hold governments accountable. An estimated 20 million people worldwide are believed to be victims of human trafficking, working in industries ranging from the sex trade to fishing and mining. ## Transcript [ MUSIC ] With this change we will be able to substantially increase our contacts with the Cuban people, we'll have more personnel at our embassy, and our diplomats will have the ability to engage more broadly across the island. 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