Seychelles receives U.S Department of State 2023 Trafficking in Persons report |27 June 2023

Minister Fonseka accepting the report from Mr Donegan

The Minister for Internal Affairs, Errol Fonseka, was formally presented with a copy of the 2023 Trafficking in Persons report by the charge d’affaires of the U.S embassy, Jimmy Donegan, yesterday morning in the Reflecs3 training room at the Regional Centre for Operation Coordination, Bois de rose.

Seychelles has been upgraded from Tier 2 to Tier 1 in the Trafficking Persons index, making it the only African country to have achieved this.

The chairperson of the National Coordinating Committee for Combating Trafficking in Persons (NCCTIP), Linda William-Melanie, said that this was a milestone achievement for the country.

“As we all know, trafficking in person is a crime that was often thought of as foreign, as something that does not affect our home but in an increasingly interconnected and globalised world, Seychelles does not remain isolated to the world’s problems,” she said.

In 2011 Seychelles was ranked at Tier 2 as the country was yet to put in place the proper legislative framework to combat human trafficking. The country was downgraded to Tier 2 watch list for two consecutive years – 2012 and 2013 – as again, the Seychelles report indicated that the government had made no known efforts to address trafficking crimes through law enforcement action during the reporting period.

Mrs William-Melanie explained that an ad hoc committee spearheaded by the department of Foreign Affairs was then set up to start the ball rolling, which led to the first draft of the local legislation in 2013 and the enactment of the Prohibition against Trafficking in Persons Act in April 2014.

The law was first tested in 2016 when the police registered their first major case of trafficking in persons with a conviction in 2018.

She said that despite continuous efforts to fight the scourge, there were several setbacks including budgetary constraints, which improved with time.

“Evidently, we have come far thanks to the budgetary support and technical assistance of all our international partners recognising the political will and commitment of the government to address human trafficking matters,” said Mrs William-Melanie.

“Seychelles is proud to be the first country in Africa to be given a Tier 1 ranking by the US State Department. This achievement is the culmination of the dedication and hard work of all law enforcement officers, civil society organisations and the TIP secretariat who have been relentless in the fight against human trafficking,” she added, urging the country to remain committed and be more proactive in the promotion and protection of human rights to maintain the Tier I ranking.

Minister Fonseka expressed his delight to this great achievement saying that it was“encouraging news” for the country and the government.

“The reason for this achievement is principally two-fold. First, it is the passion that exists among those involved to do what is right for a fellow human being, and secondly, efficiency was brought about through good coordination and collaboration among numerous agencies, private sector, churches and many more,” he said.

He thanked all those involved for their hard work in making this upgrade possible.

For his part Mr Donegan said he was very pleased that Seychelles has met the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking in persons.

“Seychelles should be proud of its Tier 1 status. It is the only Tier 1 country in Africa, and only two countries, Denmark and Seychelles, were upgraded to Tier 1 in the 2023 report. Once again, Seychelles is leading the way for Africa,” he said.

The achievements which Seychelles has obtained includes convicting the most traffickers reported in a single year, prosecuting more trafficking cases, increasing funding for victim services, and officially opening and providing services to survivors at the country’s first anti-trafficking shelter.

Diane Larame