[ Human Trafficking, Country-by-Country ]

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

The Government of Tanzania 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 Tanzania remained on Tier 2. These efforts included amending the 2008 anti-trafficking law to remove sentencing provisions that allowed fines in lieu of imprisonment; establishing specialized anti-trafficking units on the mainland and in Zanzibar; referring all identified victims to services; developing shelter guidelines in Zanzibar; providing ad hoc assistance to support victims’ participation in investigations and prosecutions of traffickers; and increasing anti-trafficking training for law enforcement officials and social welfare officers. The government significantly increased dedicated funding for the Anti-Trafficking Secretariat (ATS) and anti-trafficking activities to implement the 2021-2024 national action plan (NAP). The government took steps to increase ethical recruitment of Tanzanian migrant workers and prevent trafficking among this population. However, the government did not meet the minimum standards in several key areas. The government investigated fewer trafficking crimes and did not convict any traffickers. Due to inconsistent use of formal identification procedures and limited protection services, authorities reportedly deported, detained, and arrested potential trafficking victims for alleged prostitution or immigration crimes without screening them for trafficking indicators. The government continued to rely on civil society organizations to provide most victim services without providing financial or in-kind support. Zanzibar did not adopt the 2008 anti-trafficking law, undermining overall anti-trafficking efforts on the archipelago.

Prioritized Recommendations

In Zanzibar, adopt the 2008 antitrafficking law.

Implement a systemic victim-witness assistance program to increase protective services for victims participating in the criminal justice process and prevent re-traumatization.

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

Using the standard operating procedures for victim identification, systematically and proactively identify trafficking victims by screening for trafficking indicators among vulnerable populations, including individuals involved in commercial sex, refugees, and foreign workers from neighboring countries and Cuba, and refer all trafficking victims to appropriate services.

Develop, finalize, and implement a formal national referral mechanism to refer victims to appropriate care.

Ensure victims are not inappropriately penalized solely for unlawful acts committed as a direct result of being trafficked.

Increase protections for Tanzanian trafficking victims exploited abroad, including by training Tanzanian embassy staff to identify and assist victims and assigning additional labor attachés to Tanzanian embassies to monitor migrant working conditions abroad.

Continue to allocate increased financial and personnel resources for antitrafficking efforts, including provision of services for victims in partnership with NGOs, and implementation of the 2021-2024 NAP, and subsequent activities in Zanzibar.

Consistently enforce strong regulations and oversight of labor recruitment companies, including by training labor inspectors to identify and report trafficking crimes and increasing efforts to identify fraudulent labor recruiters and hold them criminally accountable.

Develop a comprehensive and centralized database on trafficking crimes to improve interagency coordination and accurately report anti-trafficking law enforcement efforts and victim identification statistics.