The 2025 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report, released by the US Department of State, has revealed that Sri Lanka identified 168 victims of human trafficking in 2024 — a significant increase compared to 95 victims reported the previous year.
According to the report, the victims included 102 men, 59 women, and seven children. Of these, 19 were exploited in sex trafficking, 59 in labour trafficking, and 90 in unspecified forms of trafficking. In addition, authorities identified 463 potential victims who were fraudulently recruited to enlist as foreign fighters in Russia’s war against Ukraine. The government repatriated 109 Sri Lankans from Russia, though reports indicate that more than 1,000 remain stranded. Sri Lanka also coordinated with Pakistan to repatriate seven Pakistani trafficking victims.
The TIP Report notes that the majority of trafficking cases involving Sri Lankans occur overseas, with migrant workers in the Middle East, Asia, Europe, and the United States often subjected to forced labour in construction, garment, and domestic work. Economic hardship continues to push many Sri Lankans to seek foreign employment, where they are particularly vulnerable to exploitation. Women, children, ethnic minorities, and older people are most at risk.
Within Sri Lanka, traffickers exploit men, women, and children in forced labour, sex trafficking, and increasingly through online scam operations. The report highlights that traffickers have used social media to lure victims with fraudulent job offers, forcing them into scam operations in Southeast Asia. Foreign workers, particularly from India and Southeast Asia, have also been exploited in similar scams within Sri Lanka.
The report underscores that women and girls face disproportionate risks. Thousands of female migrant workers have reported forced labour and sexual exploitation abroad, while within Sri Lanka, women are trafficked under the guise of employment in hospitality, spas, and domestic work. Observers have also raised concerns that widows of military personnel were coerced into commercial sex to access government benefits.
Children, especially from Tamil plantation communities, remain vulnerable to labour exploitation in agriculture, domestic work, and hazardous industries, while some have been subjected to child sex trafficking, including in coastal areas. Ethnic minority groups such as Malaiyaha Tamils continue to face higher vulnerability to trafficking, with language barriers further limiting access to justice.
Covering 188 governments worldwide, including the United States, the TIP Report evaluates anti-trafficking efforts and highlights ongoing challenges. It warns that undocumented Sri Lankan migrant workers and those burdened by recruitment-related debt remain particularly exposed to trafficking risks.
