[ Human Trafficking, Country-by-Country ]
ESWATINI (SWAZILAND) (Tier 2 Watch List) – Extracted in
part from the U.S. State Dept
2023 TIP Report
The Government of the Kingdom
of Eswatini does not fully meet the minimum
standards for the elimination of trafficking but is making significant
efforts to do so. These efforts included establishing multi-agency emergency
response teams (ERTs) to respond to trafficking victim identification. However, the
government did not demonstrate overall increasing efforts compared with the
previous reporting period, even considering the impact of the COVID-19
pandemic, if any, on its anti-trafficking capacity. Lack of
government coordination and effective leadership of the Prevention of
People Trafficking and Smuggling Secretariat (Secretariat) continued to
hinder trafficking efforts. The government
did not allocate funding for the Prevention of People Trafficking and
People Smuggling Task Force (Task Force) to coordinate anti-trafficking
efforts. The lack of specialized anti-trafficking training for
front-line officers continued to hamper anti-trafficking efforts. Serious
allegations of trafficking and abuse of trafficking victims by senior
government officials in protection roles remained pending prosecution for
multiple years. The first shelter for victims of trafficking and GBV
refurbished in a collaborative effort with foreign donor-support remained
inoperable for the second consecutive year. Therefore Eswatini remained on Tier 2 Watch List for the second
consecutive year.
Prioritized Recommendations
Increase
efforts to investigate, prosecute, and convict traffickers, including
allegedly complicit officials.
Launch
and operationalize the refurbished shelter dedicated to providing care for
victims of trafficking and GBV, including by utilizing shelter guidelines,
management plans, and government resources to ensure sustainability of
operations.
Appoint
a new Protection Officer in the Secretariat to ensure trafficking victims
are appropriately identified and referred to services.
Train
law enforcement, social workers, prosecutors, magistrates, immigration
officers, and other front-line officials to proactively identify
trafficking victims among vulnerable populations, including at-risk
children, migrants, and Cuban medical workers, and refer all
identified trafficking victims to appropriate protection services.
Evaluate
the effectiveness of the National Strategic Framework and Action Plan
(NSFAP) to Combat People Trafficking (2019-2023) and renew and launch an
updated National Action Plan.
Increase
coordination and adequately fund mandated activities of the Secretariat and
the Task Force to enable the Task Force to fulfill its statutory
responsibilities.
Strengthen
coordination with civil society on victim protection, including by
partnering with local NGOs.
Improve
trafficking data collection and analysis of anti-trafficking law
enforcement efforts.
Conduct
anti-trafficking public awareness campaigns.
Amend
the Employment Act to create strong regulations and oversight mechanisms of
labor recruitment companies, including by eliminating recruitment fees
charged to migrant workers and holding fraudulent labor recruiters
criminally accountable.
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