[ Human Trafficking, Country-by-Country ]

Comoros (Tier 2) – Extracted in part from the U.S. State Dept 2023 TIP Report

The Government of Comoros 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 Comoros was upgraded to Tier 2. These efforts included identifying more trafficking victims and referring all victims to services; investigating more trafficking crimes, including a fraudulent recruiter; and establishing specialized anti-trafficking investigation units on Grande Comore and Anjouan. The government finalized a national referral mechanism (NRM) to refer victims to services. The government continued to disseminate and train officials on victim identification procedures and increased training for law enforcement on victim-centered, trauma-informed investigation techniques. The government established and dedicated personnel to the National Committee on the Prevention of Illegal Migrant Smuggling and Trafficking in Persons (NCTIP) to enhance inter-ministerial coordination on anti-trafficking efforts. However, the government did not meet the minimum standards in several key areas. The government did not initiate any new trafficking prosecutions and has never convicted a trafficker. The lack of short-term shelter and long-term housing for victims continued to adversely affect the government’s ability to adequately protect trafficking victims. The government did not have a national action plan (NAP), and anti-trafficking efforts on Anjouan and Mohéli remained minimal.

Prioritized Recommendations

Expedite the prosecution of alleged traffickers following case referrals by law enforcement and seek adequate penalties for convicted traffickers, which should involve significant prison terms.

Amend trafficking provisions in the penal code to prescribe penalties for adult sex trafficking that are commensurate with penalties prescribed for other grave crimes, such as rape.

Expand the availability of shelters to victims of all forms of trafficking – including male and foreign victims – and allocate adequate resources and staffing to shelters.

Continue to increase anti-trafficking training to front-line officials, including law enforcement, social workers, health service providers, prosecutors, judges, and civil society, on Grande Comore, Anjouan, and Mohéli.

Systematically and proactively identify trafficking victims by screening for trafficking indicators among vulnerable populations across Comoros, including children in domestic work, children attending Quranic schools, and individuals repatriated from the French Department of Mayotte, and refer all victims to appropriate services.

Develop, implement, and fund a multi-year NAP to combat trafficking.

Dedicate and allocate funding for NCTIP.

Implement and consistently enforce strong regulations and oversight of labor recruitment companies, including eliminating recruitment fees charged to migrant workers and holding fraudulent labor recruiters criminally accountable.

Expand anti-trafficking public awareness campaigns to all of Comoros, specifically targeting vulnerable populations on Anjouan and Mohéli.

Develop a national-level data collection system on trafficking crimes, including anti-trafficking law enforcement efforts and trafficking victims identified.