On June 15, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken released the 2023 Trafficking in Persons Report on behalf of the U.S. Department of State’s Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons.   

The annual report, which provides the most comprehensive and up-to-date evaluation of global efforts to combat trafficking in persons, individually documents the status of 188 countries and territories regarding their current measures to prosecute traffickers, protect victims, and prevent trafficking altogether. Additionally, the report provides specific prioritized recommendations and a rank for each country based on their efforts along a 4 Tier Scale.

This year’s report focuses on the importance of partnership—between national and local governments, nonprofits, academia, and community organizations—in efforts to combat trafficking in persons. 

Read our insights into the 2022 TIP Report. 

Partnership is key to CenHTRO’s global effort to end human trafficking. We develop our targeted prevalence research alongside local research institutions. Our survivor-informed interventions are implemented by collaborating with NGOs and civil society organizations. We influence strong anti-trafficking policies through coordination with relevant officials and lawmakers. Fighting human trafficking, we believe, requires “All Hands On Deck.”  

During his remarks, Secretary Blinken said that the 2023 report highlights some concerning new global trends, such as the continued expansion of forced labor—intensified by pandemic-induced vulnerabilities and proliferated through the use of online scams.  Additionally, he noted an overall lack of inclusion, understanding, and services for non-female victims of trafficking. However, the Secretary also suggested that the report depicts a steady level of progress around the world to address and combat the crime in effective and collaborative ways.  

Here's a look into how the countries where CenHTRO facilitates research and programming stand in the 2023 Report:  

SENEGAL

Senegal was upgraded to Tier 2 from a previous ranking of Tier 2 Watch List. The report noted that the West African country prosecuted and convicted more traffickers, identified more victims, finalized standard operating procedures (SOP) on identifying and investigating trafficking cases. Also of note in the report is the action of President Macky Sall issuing executive orders to increase oversight of Quranic schools and the Senegalese government’s significantly increased collaboration with foreign counterparts on law enforcement activities. 

Despite showing improvements, the report identified key areas where Senegal has fallen short.

• The Senegalese government did not fully implement existing measures to counter traffickers who exploit children through forced begging accountable, or protect victims. 
• No traffickers of forced child begging were prosecuted or convicted for the third consecutive year.  
• Officials did not consistently apply existing anti-trafficking laws for penalties and prosecutions.  

The report makes a series of recommendations for Senegal to improve its ranking. A few key recommendations that closely align to CenHTRO’s work to combat sex trafficking in the country’s gold mining region include: 

• Implement and train front-line officials on the SOPs for the identification and investigation of trafficking cases, including victim identification and referral procedures. 

• Strengthen the anti-trafficking task force’s (CNLTP) authority to coordinate anti-trafficking activities among agencies conducting anti-trafficking work. 
• In partnership with NGOs, expand access to protective services for trafficking victims, especially adult victims, including outside of Dakar. 
• Increase efforts to proactively identify trafficking victims among vulnerable populations, such as women in commercial sex, and refer trafficking victims to services.
• Significantly increase trafficking data collection and sharing on law enforcement and victim identification efforts.

CenHTRO’s work in Senegal directly addresses these recommendations by training law enforcement and judiciary, identifying and providing comprehensive care, including protective services to sex trafficking victims, and strengthening TIP data collection across the West African region. 

SIERRA LEONE

Sierra Leone retained its ranking of Tier 2. The report highlights the Government of Sierra Leone’s successful prosecution of traffickers, a result of CenHTRO’s program to provide legal aid to survivors. The report also recognized the passage and enactment of the new Anti-Human Trafficking and Migrant Smuggling Act of 2022, which CenHTRO closely supported during its development. The act increasesing penalties for trafficking crimes and removesing the option for a fine in place of imprisonment for convicted traffickers. However, the report indicated significant shortcomings in the West African country’s anti-trafficking efforts:

• Sierra Leone convicted fewer traffickers and identified fewer victims than years prior. 
• Victim services remained “woefully inadequate.” 
• The Government of Sierra Leone did not provide financial support to civil society organizations to provide services. 

The report prioritizes a series of recommendations for Sierra Leone to improve anti-trafficking efforts. Among those that reflect CenHTRO’s work to strengthen regional coordination and combat child trafficking in the country’s Kambia, Kailahun, Kenema, and Kono districts are: 

• Expand victim protection services for all trafficking victims– including shelter for male victims. 
• Train police, prosecutors, and judges to investigate and prosecute trafficking cases under the Anti-Human Trafficking and Migrant Smuggling Act of 2022. 
• Coordinate with regional governments to prosecute transnational cases, coordinate victim protection, and prevent trafficking. 
• Improve data collection on anti-trafficking law enforcement and victim assistance efforts. 

CenHTRO’s work in Sierra Leone directly addresses these recommendations by expanding victim services outside of Freetown, training law enforcement and judiciary, and supporting regional TIP coordination across the West African region.

MALAWI

Malawi retained its Tier 2 ranking in the 2023 TIP Report. Highlights include improved prosecution of traffickers and more organized victim services. The report notes the progress made in training law enforcement in identification and interaction with victims of trafficking, and the creation of a task force to repatriate Malawi citizens who’ve been exploited abroad. Continuing problems include inadequate protection services for survivors, lack of protection efforts for victims during court proceedings, and slow progress toward developing a new anti-trafficking law. 

The report made the following prioritized recommendations for Malawi:

• Better training of law enforcement (and all involved parties—immigration officials, for example) surrounding the identification of trafficking victims. 
• Dedicate more resources for investigation and prosecution of traffickers (appropriate penalties, longer prison sentences).  
• Involve other key players to improve victim protection services (like NGOs and INGOs) and encourage coordination among all levels of government as well.

ZAMBIA

Zambia was upgraded to Tier 2 in the 2023 TIP Report from a previous ranking of Tier 2 Watch List. The report notes that, despite significant challenges during the global COVID-19 pandemic, overall anti-trafficking efforts increased in the Southern African country. More resources and training on identification and investigations were made available to law enforcement. However, law enforcement and the judiciary struggled with misidentifying trafficking victims, confusing them with smuggled migrants. The government inappropriately punished victims for crimes committed in response to having been trafficked. 

The report made the following prioritized recommendations for Zambia:

• More protections offered to victims (shouldn’t be penalized for crimes committed during trafficking experience). 

• Improve victim identification techniques for warning signs, connect victims to resources. 
• Differentiate migrant smuggling and trafficking crimes in the court system.

CenHTRO has recently launched research and programming projects in Southern Africa and looks forward to building relationships with local partners to help implement the report’s recommendations.