7 November 2024 – Juba, South Sudan
In South Sudan, the prevalence of the crime of trafficking in persons (TiP) is alarming and exacerbated by prolonged conflict and instability. South Sudan is both a source and destination country for victims of trafficking in persons, with thousands of women and children are particularly vulnerable to exploitation, including sexual abuse, forced marriage, child labor, and recruitment by armed groups.
Trafficking networks in the region take advantage of the lack of robust legal frameworks and the ongoing conflict, making the fight against TiP particularly challenging.
In response to this pressing issue, South Sudan, with the support of UNODC, the European Union (EU) and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), under the Better Migration Management (BMM) Programme, has initiated a process to strengthen its legal and institutional frameworks to counter trafficking in persons. Through collaborative efforts, South Sudan is making notable progress in protecting its citizens and upholding their rights and dignity, while investigating and prosecuting traffickers.
Laying the Foundation and UNTOC’s Accession
In October 2023, South Sudan took a significant step by acceding to the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC). UNTOC is the main international instrument in the fight against transnational organized crime. This initiative set the stage for the development of comprehensive national legislation and strategies aimed at addressing transnational organized crime, including trafficking in persons.
Drafting the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Bill
Building on the momentum from its accession to the UNTOC, South Sudan officially launched the drafting process of its Anti-Trafficking in Persons Bill on February 21, 2024. The launch included a six days workshop, where a technical team began working on the draft Bill, marking the launch of a focused effort to create a robust legal framework to counter TiP in the country.
South Sudan’s Minister of Interior, Minister of Interior Angelina Teny underscored the pivotal role played by the National Technical Taskforce in Countering Trafficking in Persons and Smuggling of Migrants in guiding the Ministry’s response and advocating for national legislation aligned with international and regional legal frameworks.
The Minister of Labour, General James Hoth Mai, reinforced this message, highlighting the need for international cooperation in the fight against TiP: “As a global phenomenon, it requires a global approach to countering it and that is why South Sudan signed the UNTOC and has started drafting this Bill to domesticate the Palermo Protocol.”
The event was attended by representatives from various national ministries, civil society organizations, UNMISS, and other UN agencies, reflecting a broad-based commitment to tackling TiP. UNMISS Police Commissioner, Ms. Christine Fossen, expressed her hope “that when this Bill is enacted into law, it will provide the robust legal and institutional frameworks that South Sudan needs to develop and implement comprehensive, evidence-based solutions to the complex and interconnected criminal threats that we jointly face at the national, regional, and global levels.”
The drafting process was further supported by a validation conference on July 3, 2024, facilitated by UNODC. This pivotal event, held in Juba, gathered key stakeholders to finalize the draft Anti-Trafficking in Persons bill, which was then submitted to the Ministry of Justice for final review before being presented to the Council of National Ministers and the Transitional National Legislative Assembly.
Following this, on September 13, 2024, President Salva Kiir Mayardit of the Republic of South Sudan officially signed and gave assent to the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC), along with the 1988 UN Convention against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances, and the 1999 International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism. This culminated South Sudan’s efforts to accede, ratify, and domesticate UNTOC, reinforcing the nation's commitment to addressing transnational crime and strengthening national security.
