Human trafficking is an issue that affects vulnerable individuals across the world, and Tanzania is no exception. The country has long been a source, transit, and destination for human trafficking, particularly for women and children who are exploited and used for forced labor, sexual exploitation, forced military servitude, and organ trafficking. Despite Tanzania's efforts to combat trafficking in persons in all of its forms, it remains classified as a Tier 2 country by the United States Department of State's Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report. This classification indicates that while the government has made significant efforts to address human trafficking, it does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking. In the fight against human trafficking, Tanzania's approach, like many countries globally, focuses on three pillars of combating trafficking in persons: prevention, prosecution, and protection. All three pillars are necessary to help eliminate the sources of trafficking, support survivors, and hold traffickers accountable for their crimes.
TopIntroduction
Human trafficking is a serious abuse of human rights that still happens all over the world. Tanzania is a good example of this problem. The fact that Tanzania is a country that traffics people and is also a transit and destination spot for many of them, especially women and children, shows how hard it is to fight this problem. People are taken advantage of in many ways, such as through forced labour, sexual abuse, military service, and even organ trafficking. The Tanzanian government has made some great efforts, as shown by its Tier 2 ranking in the US Department of State's Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report. However, there is still a long way to go before they fully meet the basic standards for ending trafficking. This gap is especially clear when it comes to protecting survivors and helping them get back on their feet, which is an area where present strategies are seriously lacking.
The goal of this chapter is to take a close look at this study gap by looking at it through the lens of making victim protections stronger in Tanzania. The Tanzanian strategy, like global strategies, is based on three pillars: prevention, prosecution, and protection. However, the third pillar, protection, needs to be looked at again and strengthened right away. This reevaluation is necessary not only to get rid of the things that lead to trafficking, but also to help survivors more and hold traffickers responsible. The goal of this chapter is to give a full picture of how Tanzania helps survivors of human trafficking by looking at its legal resources, humanitarian aid, and security programmes. It will also look at what has worked and what hasn't in its ongoing fight against human trafficking.
To properly handle survivor protections in Tanzania's human trafficking policy, one must first learn a great deal about the history of trafficking in the country. To do this, Tanzania's present government, extralegal, and international policies against trafficking need to be looked into. This chapter will give these policies a critical review, pointing out their flaws and offering ways to make them better. It will also find ways to improve the measures that have already been tried and tested and suggest them. In the end, this chapter wants to add to the conversation about human trafficking by giving a more detailed view of Tanzania's efforts. This will help policymakers and practitioners make better decisions about how to protect and rehabilitate survivors.
In this chapter, “Human Trafficking in Tanzania: A Review of Victim Protection Policy in Tanzania and Recommendations to Transition from Tier 2 to Tier 1 Under the Trafficking Victims Protection Act Country Standards,” Godfrey Mpandikizi offers an in-depth analysis of the challenges and progress in Tanzania's fight against human trafficking. The chapter unfolds as follows:
Background of Human Trafficking in Tanzania: This section delves into the prevalence of human trafficking in various regions of Tanzania, highlighting the multifaceted nature of this issue. It underscores the importance of systematic victim reporting and examines the exacerbating effects of global crises, like the COVID-19 pandemic, on human trafficking.
The Issue of Children Being Trafficked in Tanzania: Focusing on the most vulnerable group, this part discusses the alarming trends in child trafficking in Tanzania. It explores the societal and individual factors that make children, especially girls and those with disabilities, susceptible to trafficking.
Tanzania’s Approach to Combating Trafficking in Persons: Here, the chapter scrutinizes Tanzania's current strategies and policies in combating human trafficking. It critically reviews the Anti-trafficking in Persons Act of 2008 and other national and international initiatives Tanzania has adopted or participated in.
Tanzanian Human Trafficking Government Policy and Comparison: This segment offers a comparative analysis of Tanzanian policies with international standards such as the US Trafficking Victims Protection Act and the United Nations Protocol for Human Trafficking. It provides a detailed breakdown of these policies' elements and their effectiveness.
Tanzania’s Trafficking In Persons Plan of Action and Comparison: The chapter proceeds to assess Tanzania’s National Anti-Trafficking in Persons Plan of Action, comparing it with similar action plans from other countries. It evaluates the practical steps and strategies outlined in these plans.
Review of Tanzania’s Trafficking Policy: A thorough examination of Tanzania's policy against human trafficking is presented here. It identifies the strengths and weaknesses in the policy's formulation and implementation, focusing on victim protection.