Washington - The global economic crisis heightens the risk that people could be vulnerable to illegal human trafficking in the pursuit of jobs or forced labour or prostitution, the US State Department said Tuesday. In its annual report, the State Department said that an increase in poverty could increase the willingness of the population willing to migrate at the hands of human traffickers.

"This growing poverty is making more people vulnerable to both labour and sex trafficking, boosting the supply side of human trafficking all over the world," the report said.

Further, a rising demand for cheaper products has led employers to slash wages or use slave and child labour, the report said.

The State Department have added seven countries to a list of those that have not taken adequate steps to halt the flow of human trafficking and forced labour or prostitution. They are Chad, Eritrea, Malaysia, Mauritania, Niger, Swaziland and Zimbabwe.

Those remaining on the list from last year are: Cuba, Fiji, Iran, Kuwait, Myanmar, North Korea, Papua New Guinea, Saudi Arabia, Sudan and Syria.

Oman was removed from the list, and Algeria, Moldova and Qatar were downgraded to the "watch list."

By Staff reporter and agencies