[ Human Trafficking, Country-by-Country ]

BURUNDI (Tier 2) – Extracted in part from the U.S. State Dept 2022 TIP Report

The Government of Burundi does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking but is making significant efforts to do so. The government demonstrated overall increasing efforts compared with the previous reporting period, considering the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, if any, on its anti-trafficking capacity; therefore Burundi remained on Tier 2. These efforts included increased investigations, prosecutions, and convictions of trafficking crimes and increased anti-trafficking training for law enforcement and judicial officials. The government improved coordination efforts of its inter-ministerial anti-trafficking committee and allocated funding to shelters. The government established new regulations for labor recruitment agencies to prevent exploitation of Burundians seeking employment abroad and ratified bilateral agreements with the Governments of Saudi Arabia and Qatar to enhance protections for migrant workers. However, the government did not meet the minimum standards in several key areas. The government did not identify any trafficking victims in Burundi for the second consecutive year, referred significantly fewer victims to care, and continued to rely on civil society organizations to provide most victim services. The government did not implement or train officials on its SOPs for victim identification and referral to care. The government did not finalize its draft National Action Plan (NAP) to combat trafficking.

Prioritized Recommendations

Using the SOPs for victim identification and referral to care, proactively identify trafficking victims by screening for trafficking indicators among vulnerable populations, including children, women, and young adults, and train officials on the procedures.

Continue efforts to investigate and prosecute traffickers, including complicit officials, and seek adequate penalties for convicted traffickers, which should involve significant prison terms.

Increase training for law enforcement and judicial officials on the trafficking law and investigating and prosecuting trafficking cases, and ensure trafficking cases are distinguished from migrant smuggling.

Allocate increased financial and personnel resources for the anti-trafficking committee.

Improve data collection systems on law enforcement efforts, victim identification, and referrals to care.

Enforce regulations and oversight of labor recruitment agencies, including eliminating recruitment fees charged to migrant workers, and holding fraudulent labor recruiters criminally accountable.

Digitize the Judicial Police record keeping system to better manage and follow up on trafficking cases.

Finalize and implement the NAP to combat trafficking.

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