Children in Swaziland are being used as forced labour to tend the fields of King Mswati III, an international report on human trafficking says.
Chiefs in rural areas who represent the monarch, ‘may coerce children and adults—through threats and intimidation—to work for the king,’ the report from the US State Department reveals.
The report also says, ‘Swazi girls, particularly orphans,
are subjected to sex trafficking and domestic servitude in the cities of
Mbabane and Manzini, as well as in South Africa, Mozambique, and the United
States.’
The Trafficking in
Persons Report 2013 also reveals, ‘Swazi men in border communities are also
recruited for forced labor in South Africa’s timber industry.
‘Some Swazi women are forced into prostitution in South
Africa and Mozambique after voluntarily migrating in search of work.
Traffickers reportedly force Mozambican women into prostitution in Swaziland,
or transit Swaziland with their victims en route to South Africa.
‘Mozambican boys migrate to Swaziland for work washing
cars, herding livestock, and portering; some of these boys subsequently become
victims of forced labor.’
The report says, ‘Swazi boys and foreign children are
forced to labor in commercial agriculture and market vending within the
country.’
The report says, The Government of Swaziland does not
fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking;
however, it is making significant efforts to do so.’
It adds, ‘Moreover, the government failed to train any of
its officials, including law enforcement personnel, on existing legislation and
indicators for victim identification, which stymied investigations and
prosecutions.’
It says, ‘For a second consecutive year, the government
did not increase its protection efforts as it failed to ensure adequate
assistance to and secure accommodation for trafficking victims.’
The report shows little has changed in Swaziland in human
trafficking. In 2009 the US State Department reported that women and children in the kingdom were bought
and sold for sex, domestic servitude and forced labour.
Mbabane and Manzini were again
identified as the centres of trafficking of
girls, particularly orphans, for sex. Swazi boys were trafficked for forced
labour in commercial agriculture and market vending. Some Swazi women were
forced into prostitution in South Africa and Mozambique after voluntarily
travelling to these countries in search of work.
In 2009, the The International Trade Union Confederation
(ITUC) reported that a form of serfdom existed
in the kingdom ruled by King Mswati, sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute
monarch. The report said Swazis were forced to work without pay on projects
determined by local chiefs (who are appointed by the king). These included
agricultural work, soil erosion and construction and maintenance.
Swazis, seven in ten who live in abject poverty and earn
less than two US dollars a day, are forced to work under the Swazi
Administration Order, No. 6 of 1998, which makes it a duty of Swazis to obey
orders and participate in compulsory works; participation is enforceable with
severe penalties for those who refuse.
Last month (October 2013) it was reported there were an
estimated 1,302 people
living in slavery in Swaziland.
The report called the Global Slavery Index 2013 and
published by the Walk Free Foundation stated, ‘Modern slavery includes slavery,
slavery-like practices (such as debt bondage, forced marriage, and sale or
exploitation of children), human trafficking and forced labour.’
See also
SLAVE LABOUR RIFE IN SWAZILAND
US EXPOSES CHILD SEX TRADE
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