Malaysia has moved out of the "Tier 2 watch list" in the US State Department's latest Trafficking in Persons Report (TIP) and has been upgraded to the "Tier 2" list.

Countries on the Tier 2 list are countries that do not fully meet the US Trafficking Victims Protection Act's minimum standards but are making significant efforts to meet those standards.

However, being on the Tier 2 watch list subscribes to the same definition above, in addition to having a significant increase in the absolute number of victims and failure to provide evidence of increasing efforts to prevent human trafficking, among other yardsticks.

"The government (of Malaysia) demonstrated increasing efforts compared to the previous reporting period; therefore, Malaysia was upgraded to Tier 2.

"The government demonstrated increasing efforts by expanding trafficking investigations, prosecutions and convictions," the TIP report states...