[ Human Trafficking, Country-by-Country ]

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

The Government of Senegal 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 Senegal was upgraded to Tier 2. These efforts included prosecuting and convicting more traffickers, identifying more trafficking victims, and finalizing SOPs on the identification and investigation of trafficking cases. The president issued executive orders to increase oversight of Quranic schools (daaras) to prevent child forced begging. The government significantly increased collaboration with foreign counterparts on law enforcement activities. However, the government did not meet the minimum standards in several key areas. Although the government demonstrated some commitment to address child forced begging, it did not fully implement existing measures to hold traffickers exploiting children in forced begging accountable or protect victims. The government did not prosecute or convict traffickers exploiting children in forced begging for the third consecutive year, despite continued reports of this occurring at some daaras, including with ongoing severe abuses. Officials did not consistently use the 2005 anti-trafficking law to prosecute alleged traffickers and continued applying penalties inconsistent with those prescribed by the law.

Prioritized Recommendations

Increase efforts to investigate and criminally prosecute trafficking crimes, especially child forced begging cases, and seek adequate penalties for convicted traffickers, which should involve significant prison terms.

Increase efforts to proactively identify trafficking victims among vulnerable populations, such as children exploited in forced begging, women in commercial sex, women traveling abroad for domestic work, returning migrants, and domestic and foreign workers on People’s Republic of China (PRC) national-operated fishing vessels, and refer trafficking victims to services.

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

Strengthen efforts to ensure trafficking crimes are tried under the 2005 anti-trafficking law and not as misdemeanor crimes, and ensure cases are referred to investigative judges in the criminal courts.

Fully implement and allocate resources to the government’s daaras modernization initiative to prevent child forced begging; as part of this, establish and enforce child protection standards and inspect and close daaras that do not meet the standards.

Institutionalize anti-trafficking training for law enforcement and judicial officials.

Significantly increase trafficking data collection and sharing on law enforcement and victim identification efforts.

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 prevent exploitation of Senegalese workers abroad by investigating and prosecuting fraudulent labor recruiters, prohibiting worker-paid recruitment fees, and raising awareness of exploitation of labor migrants and the rights of Senegalese workers abroad.

Screen any North Korean workers for signs of trafficking and refer them to appropriate services in a manner consistent with obligations under United Nations Security Council Resolution 2397.