SIHMA

Researching Human Migration across Africa

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09 Sep

Human Trafficking in Africa: Patterns, Drivers, and Responses

This year’s World Day Against Trafficking in Persons draws attention to the persistence of sex trafficking across Africa, where organized crime, systemic inequality, and weak institutional capacity converge to create conditions of exploitation. Evidence indicates that women and girls are disproportionately affected, with risks amplified by poverty, entrenched gender norms, limited legal protections, and climate-induced displacement. Trafficking networks exploit porous borders and increasingly operate through digital platforms, while state responses often remain under-resourced and fragmented.

 

Organizations such as Equality Now emphasize the importance of survivor-centred and rights-based strategies (Now, 2025). Their recommendations include aligning national legal frameworks with international and regional treaties, including the Maputo Protocol and CEDAW General Recommendation 38. Proposed measures further extend to judicial training, community-based interventions such as Safe Sisters Clubs and coordinated action across governments, donors, technology companies, and civil society actors. These approaches highlight the need for both digital safety reforms and cross-sectoral collaboration to address the structural drivers of trafficking (Munga, 2025).

Religious and community leaders have also raised concerns. Fr. George Ehusani, a Nigerian Catholic priest and Executive Director of the Lux Terra Leadership Foundation, has described the trafficking of secondary school children as a “national emergency” for Nigeria (John, 2025). Speaking during his 40th priestly ordination anniversary, he observed that traffickers often target adolescents through social media, as well as through offers of scholarships or employment directed at economically vulnerable families. His remarks underscored the risks faced by rural communities and called for school-based prevention programs, stronger security protocols, and partnerships with law enforcement. Ehusani also criticized the rise of organ trafficking and pointed to societal complicity, citing parental negligence and systemic poverty. His foundation’s psycho-spiritual institute continues to provide skills training and trauma support to affected groups (John, 2025).

 

At the global level, a joint UNICEF–ILO report has recorded notable reductions in child labour, from 160 million in 2020 to 138 million in 2025 (UNICEF, 2025). Hazardous child labour in mining, agriculture, and industrial sectors has declined from 79 million to 54 million over the same period. Yet, sub-Saharan Africa remains the region most affected, accounting for nearly two-thirds of the world’s child labourers (International Labour Organisation, 2024). Children between the ages of 5 and 11 represent the largest proportion (UNICEF, 2025). Experts such as Nankali Maksud and Lisa Zimmermann point to poverty, weak enforcement mechanisms, and climate-related shocks as persistent drivers (Nebe, 2025). Country-specific examples include mica mining in Madagascar and child labour in Ghana’s cocoa and informal mining sectors. Despite legal progress and expanding access to education, researchers caution that without increased political commitment, financial investment, and community participation, child labour is likely to remain entrenched (Nebe, 2025).

Investigative journalism has further illuminated these dynamics at the local level. A 2025 BBC Africa Eye investigation documented the trafficking and sexual exploitation of girls as young as 13 in Maai Mahiu, a key transit hub in Kenya’s Rift Valley (Ford, 2025). The report identified the role of “madams” in recruiting and profiting from underage girls, often under false pretences, and noted systemic barriers to prosecution, including difficulties in securing victim testimony. Survivors provided detailed accounts of coercion and abuse, while grassroots initiatives, such as those led by a former sex worker known as “Baby Girl,” have offered shelter and vocational training. However, the sustainability of such interventions remains uncertain, particularly following reductions in international donor funding (Ford, 2025).

 


Taken together, these accounts and data points suggest that trafficking and child labour in Africa are shaped by an interrelated set of structural, economic, and social conditions. Organized crime, poverty, and weak institutional responses intersect with cultural norms and digital vulnerabilities, creating persistent risks for children and women. While progress has been recorded globally in reducing child labour, regional disparities remain stark. Research indicates that effective responses require integrated strategies: robust legal frameworks aligned with international treaties, adequate resourcing for law enforcement and judicial systems, survivor-centred community interventions, and cross-sectoral partnerships. Future policy debates and programmatic interventions will likely need to focus on closing the enforcement gap while addressing the socio-economic drivers that perpetuate exploitation.

 

Photo by Allen Meki on Unsplash

 

References

Ford, N. M. (2025, August 4). BBC reveals horrific exploitation of children in Kenya sex trade. Retrieved from BBC: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c15l9zl508eo

International Labour Organisation. (2024). Child Labour: Global estimates 2024, trends and the road forward. Retrieved from International Labour Organisation: https://www.ilo.org/publications/major-publications/child-labour-global-estimates-2024-trends-and-road-forward

John, A. A. (2025, August 28). Surge in Child Trafficking in Nigeria “a national emergency”, Nigerian Catholic Priest. Retrieved from Aciafrica: https://www.aciafrica.org/news/17259/surge-in-child-trafficking-in-nigeria-a-national-emergency-nigerian-catholic-priest

Munga, E. (2025, July ). Organized exploitation, systemic injustice: ending sex trafficking in Africa demands urgent action. Retrieved from Equality Now: https://equalitynow.org/news/news-and-insights/organized-exploitation-systemic-injustice-ending-sex-trafficking-in-africa-demands-urgent-action/

Nebe, C. (2025, June 12). World fails to meet 2025 child labor target. Retrieved from DW: https://www.dw.com/en/world-fails-to-meet-2025-child-labor-target/a-72871346

Now, E. (2025). Women and girls’ rights in Africa. Retrieved from Equality Now: https://equalitynow.org/what-we-do/womens-rights-around-the-world/womens-rights-in-africa/

UNICEF, I. L. (2025, June 11 ). Despite progress, child labour still affects 138 million children globally. Retrieved from International Labour Organisation: https://www.ilo.org/resource/news/despite-progress-child-labour-still-affects-138-million-children-globally?

 

 

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