Freetown- On Monday 28th February, the Government of Sierra Leone and partners organized the first national conference on human trafficking, convened on the theme “Strengthening National Frameworks and Stakeholders Network to Stop Modern Slavery”.

According to Babatunde Ahonsi ,United Nations Resident Coordinator in Sierra Leone ,the National Conference is a timely opportunity to reflect and plan for actions to continue the joint fight towards ending Trafficking in Persons in Sierra Leone, “and that, “The United Nations in Sierra Leone, through IOM and UNODC, will continue to support the strategic priorities of the National Trafficking in Persons Taskforce, looking pragmatically at the 3Ps and the outcomes of this National Conference.” Babatunde Ahonsi described trafficking in persons as a hideous criminal activity that constitutes an affront to human dignity as it often entails serious human rights violations and abuses. He noted that the Government of Sierra Leone, its development partners, including the UN, are working together to tackle trafficking in persons despite various constraints related to the COVID-19 pandemic and the adaptability of the traffickers to evolving situations.

The Minister of Social Welfare, Honourable Baindu Dassama, said the objective of the conference was to bring stakeholders together to initiate a dedicated trafficking in-person data platform for Sierra Leone, commence the operationalization of a Trafficking in person hotline, and put together a framework for an Anti-human trafficking strategy for implementation in the next five years. “Our goal is to build stronger partnerships among anti-human trafficking stakeholders to help reduce trafficking among human beings. It is therefore connected that participants of the conference would provide meaningful inputs during and after today’s engagement, especially on protection related issues for vulnerable persons including women and children who are at risk of being trafficked for slavery, labour, and sexual exploitation”, she added.

In his keynote address, President of the Republic of Sierra Leone, Dr. Julius Maada Bio said that within the policy and regulatory space, they had worked across government and with partners to launch a comprehensive national migration policy for Sierra Leone and that “they are also making efforts to structure and monitor labour migration through the Ministry of Labour and Social Security in ways that make migrants less susceptible to exploitation and trafficking. There are more possibilities for inter-agency and partner collaboration to get labour migration right”. “Domestically, we are reviewing and improving on the Anti-Human Trafficking Act of 2007, Act No. 7. The Anti-Human Trafficking and Migrant Smuggling Bill 2021 is more expensive, in accord with international best practices, and addresses a wider variety of crimes including debt bondage, sexual servitude, illegal removal of organs, and all forms of migrant smuggling,” he added.

The event brought together the President of the Republic of Sierra Leone, representatives from the United Nations System in Sierra Leone, as well as NGOs, CSOs, international organizations working on human trafficking issues in the country, chiefs, students’ representatives among other participant. It was made possible with support from the IOM, the United States, the Irish Embassy in Freetown, the University of Georgia, the United Nations Office on Drug and Crime, and other partners.

For more information on IOM’s programs in Sierra Leone, please contact Dr. James Bagonza, Email: jbagonza@iom.int. For Media: Alfred Fornah, Email: afornah@iom.int