By Kemo Kanyi &Haddy Touray
The Gambia has retained its Tier 2 ranking in the latest human trafficking assessment, with the government making increased efforts to combat trafficking despite persistent weaknesses in funding, law enforcement and victim protection.
The report obtained on Wednesday said the government had intensified investigations and prosecutions, identified more trafficking victims, expanded training for front-line officials and drafted a new National Action Plan (NAP) to address human trafficking.
However, inadequate resources and limited specialized training for law enforcement officers and judicial officials continued to hamper efforts to investigate and prosecute trafficking cases effectively.
The government investigated 20 suspected trafficking cases during the reporting period, compared with 16 in the previous period. These included eight sex trafficking cases, four labour trafficking cases and eight involving unspecified forms of trafficking.
Authorities initiated prosecutions against six alleged traffickers, up from two in the previous reporting period, while continuing six cases from earlier periods. One trafficker was convicted, the same number as in the previous period. The government did not provide sentencing details.
The 2007 Trafficking in Persons Act, amended in 2010, criminalizes sex and labour trafficking and prescribes prison sentences ranging from 50 years to life imprisonment, alongside fines of between 50,000 and 500,000 dalasis.
The report raised concerns that provisions in the 2025 Criminal Offences Act could allow certain trafficking-related crimes to be prosecuted as lesser offences carrying lighter penalties.
The National Agency Against Trafficking in Persons (NAATIP) continued investigating cases through its specialized law enforcement unit. However, insufficient personnel, limited resources and inadequate expertise remained major obstacles. Corruption and possible official complicity were also identified as concerns.
The government identified 26 trafficking victims during the reporting period, comprising nine sex trafficking victims, five labour trafficking victims and 12 whose forms of exploitation were unspecified. Ten victims were referred to care, compared with 12 in the previous reporting period.
Authorities provided shelter, healthcare, counselling, legal assistance and repatriation support through government facilities and civil society partnerships. However, funding for victim services declined to 970,000 dalasis from approximately 1.35 million dalasis previously.
Eight victims participated in investigations and prosecutions, while a court awarded one victim 250,000 dalasis in restitution.
The report noted that fear of retaliation, social stigma, limited confidence in the justice system and lengthy court proceedings continued to discourage victims from reporting trafficking or cooperating with investigators.
On prevention, the government allocated 11 million dalasis to support NAATIP’s activities, compared with 9.4 million dalasis in the previous reporting period. It also spent approximately 1.6 million dalasis on prevention programmes.
NAATIP conducted awareness campaigns on online fraud and fraudulent recruitment, installed anti-trafficking billboards and disseminated information at Banjul International Airport. The government also finalized the Children and Vulnerable Groups Online Protection Policy.
A new 2026-2030 National Action Plan was drafted but remained pending approval at the end of the reporting period.
The report identified women, girls and boys as vulnerable to sex trafficking and forced labour, including domestic work, street vending and forced begging. Some boys were reportedly exploited in The Gambia and neighboring countries, particularly Guinea-Bissau and Senegal.
Women and girls from West Africa, especially Nigeria, were reportedly recruited fraudulently for tourism-related jobs and subsequently exploited in sex trafficking. Early and forced child marriage also remained a concern.
The assessment further highlighted fraudulent online job advertisements and the exploitation of Gambians abroad, including reports of recruitment under false pretenses for work in Russia and military-related activities.
Other concerns included possible forced labour involving foreign workers in The Gambia, including Cuban and Chinese nationals.
The report concluded that sustained funding, stronger law enforcement capacity, improved victim protection and better inter-agency coordination were necessary to address persistent weaknesses in the country’s response to human trafficking.
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