AYV News, August 27, 2024

Sierra Leone’s Civil Aviation Authority has announced new measures to help combat Child Trafficking through the Freetown International Airport.

In a statement, the Authority said effective immediate, only traveling children will be allowed to access Airport from the main gate and that children travelling with persons other than their biological parents must provide authorisation from the relevant agencies permitting them to travel with child in question.

The Authority said the move is in pursuant of its oversight function, and also mindful of the threat relating to Child Trafficking, effort to reduce congestion and maximise passenger experience at the airport.

According to the 2023 Trafficking in Persons Report in Sierra Leone, the government does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking but is making significant efforts to do so.

The government demonstrated overall increasing efforts compared with the previous reporting period, considering the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, if any, on its anti-trafficking capacity; therefore Sierra Leone remained on Tier 2. 

These efforts included prosecuting suspected traffickers and passing and enacting the Anti-Human Trafficking and Migrant Smuggling Act of 2022, which increased penalties prescribed for trafficking crimes and removed the option for a fine in lieu of imprisonment for convicted traffickers.

The government also supported repatriation of Sierra Leonean victims abroad.  However, the government did not meet the minimum standards in several key areas.  The government convicted fewer traffickers and identified fewer victims.

Victim services remained woefully inadequate, and the government did not provide financial support to civil society organisations to provide services.