By Ndey Sowe
The Gambia investigated more suspected human trafficking cases and identified more victims during the latest reporting period, but limited funding, gaps in law enforcement training and concerns about official complicity continue to weaken the country’s response to the crime, according to the United States Department of State.
In its 2026 Trafficking in Persons Report, the State Department kept The Gambia in Tier 2, a classification for countries that do not fully meet the minimum standards for eliminating human trafficking but are making significant efforts to do so.
The report credited the government with increasing investigations and prosecutions, expanding training for officials who may encounter trafficking victims and stepping up public awareness campaigns against fraudulent recruitment. It also noted that authorities had drafted a new national action plan to combat trafficking. But the report identified persistent weaknesses in the justice system, including inadequate resources for anti-trafficking work, insufficient specialist training for police and judicial officers, and concerns about corruption and possible official involvement in trafficking offences.
The findings point to a gap between the government’s efforts to address trafficking and its capacity to investigate cases effectively, protect victims and bring offenders to justice. The government investigated 20 suspected trafficking cases during the reporting period, up from 16 in the previous period, according to the report. The cases included eight involving suspected sex trafficking, four involving suspected labour trafficking and eight in which the form of trafficking was not specified.
Authorities initiated prosecutions against six alleged traffickers, compared with two in the previous reporting period, and continued six prosecutions from earlier periods. However, the government convicted only one trafficker, the same number as in the previous reporting period. The report said the government did not provide sentencing information for the convicted person.
The country’s principal anti-trafficking legislation, the Trafficking in Persons Act of 2007, as amended in 2010, criminalises both sex trafficking and labour trafficking. It prescribes prison terms ranging from 50 years to life imprisonment and fines of between 50,000 and 500,000 dalasi.
The Tourism Offences Act also criminalises child trafficking offences committed by tourists, providing for life imprisonment and fines ranging from 100,000 to 500,000 dalasi. The report nevertheless raised concerns about the 2025 Criminal Offences Act, which contains provisions under sections 211 to 217 that could allow some trafficking-related conduct to be prosecuted as lesser offences carrying lighter penalties.
The National Agency Against Trafficking in Persons (NAATIP) operates a specialised law enforcement unit responsible for investigating trafficking cases. Specially trained child welfare units within the police and immigration departments refer suspected cases to the agency. The government also conducted anti-trafficking training for law enforcement officials and worked with an international organisation to provide specialised instruction in investigative techniques.
Despite those efforts, the report said investigators and prosecutors continued to face shortages of personnel, inadequate training and limited resources. Suspects accused of trafficking were eligible for bail and sometimes absconded, while lengthy investigations and court proceedings made it harder to secure justice. Social stigma, limited confidence in the justice system and inadequate protection for victims also discouraged some people, particularly children, from reporting exploitation.
The report further said the government had not reported any investigations, prosecutions or convictions involving public officials suspected of complicity in trafficking crimes. Corruption and possible official involvement remained significant concerns that could inhibit enforcement.
Separately, media reports cited in the assessment said Gambian authorities investigated and prosecuted 60 Chinese nationals over alleged involvement in online scam operations, including extortion and fraud. The government reported identifying 26 trafficking victims during the reporting period, compared with six victims and six potential victims in the previous period.
Of the 26 people identified, nine were classified as sex trafficking victims, five as labour trafficking victims and 12 as victims of unspecified forms of trafficking. Authorities referred 10 victims to care, down from 12 in the previous reporting period.
The government has established standard operating procedures and a National Referral Mechanism to guide the identification of victims and their referral to support services. Under the system, front-line officials, usually law enforcement officers, screen people who may have been trafficked and refer cases to NAATIP and the Department of Social Welfare.
Social welfare officials assign case managers, who work with service providers to assess victims’ needs and develop individual support plans. Recognising that some victims are reluctant to speak to law enforcement officers, the government introduced a process allowing social workers to conduct initial screening interviews with people who prefer not to interact directly with police.
NAATIP also trained police officers, border officials, labour inspectors, community leaders, health workers, religious leaders, media representatives and other community members on identifying trafficking victims and using the referral system. The government provided shelter, healthcare, counselling, legal assistance and repatriation support directly and through partnerships with civil society organisations.
It operated two shelters: one dedicated to trafficking victims and another serving vulnerable groups, including people who had been trafficked. One government-registered non-governmental organisation also had a shelter that could accommodate trafficking victims. Day centres jointly operated by the government and civil society organisations provided psychosocial support, food and medical care to victims and vulnerable children. However, funding for victim services declined. The government allocated 970,000 dalasi, approximately $13,472, for those services, compared with 1.35 million dalasi, or about $18,754, in the previous reporting period.
The report also highlighted a case involving a private security contractor at the NAATIP shelter who was convicted of assault. The contractor paid fines totalling 12,000 dalasi, approximately $167, to avoid nine months in prison.
The government provided assistance to victims who participated in criminal proceedings, including legal aid, psychological services, transportation, access to social workers and options to give testimony through video or in writing. Authorities reported that eight victims participated in investigations and prosecutions of suspected traffickers.
Still, some victims were reluctant to cooperate because they feared retaliation. The report said Nigerian traffickers sometimes used coercive practices described as curses to discourage victims from seeking assistance.
Gambian law allows trafficking victims to seek restitution. In one case, a court awarded a victim 250,000 dalasi, approximately $3,472.
The government also allocated $6,000 in its 2026 budget for reparations to victims of human rights violations and abuses committed during former President Yahya Jammeh’s rule from 1994 to 2017, including trafficking-related abuses.
The report identified fraudulent recruitment as a continuing risk for Gambians seeking employment abroad and for people recruited into exploitative work within the country. Authorities increased public awareness campaigns about recruitment scams, including fraudulent job offers linked to online scam operations. The government also finalised a Children and Vulnerable Groups Online Protection Policy intended to improve online safety nationwide. NAATIP installed anti-trafficking billboards across the country and digital screens at the entrance and waiting lounge of Banjul International Airport. It also translated information on trafficking into Arabic and braille and operated an anti-trafficking hotline.
The Ministry of Trade, Industry, Regional Integration and Employment had prepared pre-departure training manuals and ethical recruitment materials for Gambian migrant workers. The State Department said the government regulated labour recruiters and held them civilly and criminally liable for fraudulent recruitment. It also maintained policies prohibiting the importation of goods produced through forced labour and took measures to prevent forced and child labour in supply chains. However, observers reported that shortages of staff, limited funding, inadequate equipment and weak coordination between institutions continued to hinder the enforcement of child labour laws, particularly in rural and remote areas. The government employed dedicated child labour inspectors, and NAATIP trained inspectors to recognise indicators of human trafficking.
Authorities also conducted awareness activities addressing the sexual exploitation of children by foreign tourists and trained 20 officers from the Tourism Security Unit on the issue. The report noted, however, that the government had not provided anti-trafficking training to its troops before their deployment as peacekeepers.
The government allocated 11 million dalasi, approximately $152,778, to support NAATIP’s activities, up from 9.4 million dalasi, or about $125,000, in the previous reporting period. It also spent 1.6 million dalasi, approximately $22,241, on prevention activities. The report said authorities had drafted a new National Action Plan for 2026–2030, but it remained pending at the end of the reporting period. The plan is expected to guide national efforts to prevent trafficking, improve investigations and prosecutions, and strengthen support for victims. The report stressed that anti-trafficking efforts needed adequate resources to translate commitments into action. The government also maintained cooperation with other countries on trafficking investigations and continued to implement memorandums of understanding with Nigeria and Senegal.
Despite the progress reported, the State Department said inadequate funding continued to constrain the country’s response, particularly the capacity of law enforcement agencies and the judiciary to investigate and adjudicate trafficking cases effectively. The report describes trafficking as a problem affecting both Gambian citizens and foreign nationals in the country, as well as Gambians exploited abroad. Women, girls and boys are subjected to sex trafficking and forced labour, including street vending and domestic work.
Some Quranic school teachers, including individuals described in the report as corrupt, exploit Gambian boys through forced begging, street vending and agricultural work in The Gambia and neighbouring countries, particularly Guinea-Bissau and Senegal. Boys from neighbouring countries are also exploited in The Gambia.
Early child marriage remains prevalent, and some families allegedly falsify girls’ ages to force them into marriage. The report warns that some of these girls may subsequently face sex trafficking or domestic servitude.
Women and girls from West African countries, particularly Nigeria, are also fraudulently recruited for jobs in The Gambia’s tourism sector before being exploited in sex trafficking. Foreign nationals have also been exploited in online scam operations in The Gambia. The report noted that European tourists, primarily from the United Kingdom, reportedly travel to the country to sexually exploit children. Men and boys are also victims of sex trafficking, although social stigma contributes to underreporting.
The assessment raised concerns about Cuban government-affiliated workers in The Gambia, including 129 medical workers and an unknown number of teachers, who may be subjected to forced labour by the Cuban government. It said a bilateral agreement between The Gambia and the Cuban government retained the Cuban authorities as intermediaries, potentially leaving professionals vulnerable to wage confiscation and arbitrary punishment. The report also said Chinese nationals working in The Gambia may have been forced to work by the Chinese government.
Gambian men and women are exploited in forced labour and sex trafficking in the Middle East, according to the report. It also highlighted reports of fraudulent recruitment into vocational training programmes that subsequently place women at military drone production sites in Russia.
Media reports cited in the assessment said recruiters, including alleged Russian officials and other illicit intermediaries, targeted women aged 18 to 22 from Africa, including The Gambia, as well as South Asia and South America.
Workers at these sites were reportedly subjected to hazardous working conditions, surveillance, violations of working hours and wages, changes to employment contracts and recruitment fees paid by workers themselves. The report identified these conditions as possible indicators of human trafficking.
Media reports also said some Gambians had been fraudulently recruited into the Russian military to fight in the war between Russia and Ukraine. The report said Gambians remained particularly vulnerable to online exploitation and false job advertisements.
It also cited the final report of the Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission, issued in December 2021, which found that former government officials had procured women through fraud and coercion to engage in sexual acts with Jammeh while he was in office from 1997 to 2017. The commission also found that Jammeh exploited government employees and citizens through forced labour on his farm, and that high-ranking officials coerced some victims into sexual acts.
The State Department’s assessment places the responsibility on the Gambian government to strengthen investigations, improve victim protection and provide adequate resources for prevention and enforcement.
While the increase in reported investigations and victim identification indicates progress, the report’s findings show that limited institutional capacity and the continued vulnerability of children, migrant workers and other at-risk groups remain central challenges in the country’s efforts to combat human trafficking.