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UNODC Enhancing Criminal Justice Responses to Trafficking in Persons in Eastern Africa in 2021

Nairobi, Kenya, 12 January 2022 – The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) within the framework of the Regional Programme for Eastern Africa (2016-2021) is implementing the Enhancing Criminal Justice Responses to Trafficking in Persons in Eastern Africa project funded by the U.S. State Department - Trafficking in Persons Office.

Every year, thousands of men, women, and children are exploited and trafficked to, from and across the Eastern Africa region. Trafficking in Persons (TIP) is a serious crime, a grave violation of human rights, and a threat to human security and sustainable development. Eastern Africa has in recent years become a new hub for trafficking routes, and with criminal groups and illicit traffickers operating across borders, strengthening national legislation and capacity as well as enhancing regional and international cooperation is critical to prevent and counter TIP.

The UNODC Enhancing Criminal Justice Responses to Trafficking in Persons in Eastern Africa project supports 13 Member States from the region, namely Burundi, Comoros, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Rwanda, Seychelles, Somalia, Tanzania and Uganda to enhance effective and victim-centered criminal justice responses to TIP aligned with the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC) and its supplementary Protocols (UNTOC), in particular the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, especially Women and Children.

UNODC focuses extensively on supporting Member States in the region to align their national legislation on TIP with the provisions of the Convention and Protocols; enhancing the capacity of criminal justice practitioners to effectively investigate and prosecute TIP cases with a victim-centered and human rights-based approach, and to foster enhanced regional and international cooperation between all relevant stakeholders.

The latest Member State to accede to the TIP Protocol is the Union of the Comoros in 2020.

More recent achievements include launching the UNODC Regional Legislative Assessment on Trafficking in Persons and in Eastern Africa (2020). The assessment analyzes national anti-TIP legislation in 13 Eastern Africa Member States, identifies gaps and issues and provides recommendations for Member States to consider for the prevention, detection, investigation and prosecution of TIP cases. Regional coordination and cooperation on TIP cases were identified by Member States as a key challenge that hinders an adequate and targeted response to deter TIP. Accordingly, there was consensus on the need for the development of a Regional Plan of Action, a regional platform and mechanism whereby Member States can gather to discuss challenges, and share intelligence and best practices in the detection, investigation and prosecution of TIP cases.

UNODC also supported the implementation of Kenya’s obligations under UNTOC and its Supplementary TIP Protocol, leading to the Counter Trafficking in Persons Secretariat and the Advisory Committee officially launching the process of amending the national anti-TIP legislation, the Counter Trafficking in Persons Act (2010). UNODC, in cooperation with the Counter Trafficking in Persons Secretariat, facilitated a legislative drafting workshop for members of the Technical Working Group, tasked to amend the national anti-TIP legislation, and provided legal advice to strengthen the legislative framework. A zero draft is available, and the legislation is expected to pass in 2022.

Additionally, UNODC supported the Government of the United Republic of Tanzania in developing the 2021 new Anti-TIP National Action Plan which proposes measures to effectively detect, investigate and prosecute TIP. Similarly, and at the request of the Government of Comoros, UNODC facilitated a legislative drafting workshop for a drafting committee in developing a comprehensive Anti-TIP legislation to effectively detect, investigate and prosecute TIP. The Government of Comoros had previously utilized its Penal Code to introduce provisions that criminalize TIP, however, the new Anti-TIP legislation, expected to pass in April 2022, includes more comprehensive provisions to ensure adequate detection, investigation and prosecution of TIP, while simultaneously protecting victims of TIP.

For more information please contact:

Mr. Johan Kruger (johan.kruger@un.org)

Head of Transnational Organized Crime, Illicit Trafficking and Terrorism Programmes

UNODC Regional Office for Eastern Africa