"The Government of Algeria does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so", stresses the 2023 Trafficking in Persons Report, which was unveiled Thursday by US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken.

Algeria was downgraded to Tier 3, at the bottom of the ranking established by Washington. The Tier 3 list includes countries whose governments do not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of human trafficking and are not making significant efforts to do so.

"The government conducted fewer investigations and prosecutions, and its efforts to identify and assist trafficking victims remained insufficient", says the document.

"Due to the government’s ineffective screening measures for victims among vulnerable populations, such as sub-Saharan African migrants, refugees, asylum-seekers, and individuals in commercial sex, authorities likely continued to inappropriately penalize trafficking victims solely for immigration offenses committed as a direct result of being trafficked", the report points out.

"The government’s ongoing measures to deport undocumented migrants without effective screening for trafficking indicators deterred some victims among this population from reporting trafficking crimes to the police or seeking much-needed assistance", the US State Department underlines.