Human Trafficking in the Indian Ocean Islands:

From Old to Modern Slavery

A Review of the Literature

By Anni Alexander, Jakob Christensen & Sophie Otiende

October 2014

Content
Abstract ......................................................................................................................................................... 2
Introduction .................................................................................................................................................. 3
Comoros ........................................................................................................................................................ 5
French overseas departments of Mayotte and Runion .............................................................................. 6
Madagascar ................................................................................................................................................... 7
Maldives ........................................................................................................................................................ 9
Mauritius ..................................................................................................................................................... 10
Seychelles .................................................................................................................................................... 12
Going forward ............................................................................................................................................. 14

Abstract
There are five independent island states (Comoros, Madagascar, Maldives, Mauritius and Seychelles) as
well as French overseas departments roughly between Mozambique and India in the Indian Ocean. All
the countries and overseas departments have human trafficking in one form or another. All the independent countries are mentioned in the US Department of State Trafficking in Persons report and they
are listed as either Tier 2 or Tier 2 Watch List countries meaning that there have been insufficient efforts
to curb human trafficking.
The biggest issues in the region are sex trafficking and trafficking for forced labour for domestic housework, the construction and fishing industries. Those countries in the region that are considered upper
middle income by the World Bank (Maldives, Mauritius and Seychelles) and have a thriving tourism industry are popular destination countries. For example, Eastern European women have been trafficked to
Maldives and Seychelles for sex work. Countries with struggling economies (Comoros and Madagascar)
are source countries for human trafficking. In addition, some of the islands, including the French department of Mayotte, appear to be transit countries for trafficking to Europe and Middle East. There is
trafficking within the countries, between the countries and between the countries and other regions.
Many of these countries have only recently adopted anti-trafficking laws, and often these laws have
been poorly implemented and not enforced. At times the laws do not prohibit all types of trafficking.
Child trafficking and exploitation is often more acknowledged to be an issue and countries rely on other
legislation, such as child protection laws, to prosecute offenders. People trafficked into these countries
often face deportation and are not provided assistance.

Introduction
Human trafficking, simply defined as the trade of people for the purpose of exploitation, exists around
the world. It is also referred to as modern slavery. This paper looks at human trafficking in the Indian
Ocean island nations, namely Comoros, Madagascar, Maldives, Mauritius and Seychelles as well as the
French overseas departments of Mayotte and Runion.
Slavery existed in the Indian Ocean islands even before colonization, especially in Madagascar and Comoros, where slaves were brought from the east coast of Africa by Swahili traders (UNSECO n.d.) When
Europeans arrived in the 17th and 18th centuries, the slave trade was revitalized (Ibid). Slavery first
reached the Mascarene Islands (Mauritius, Runion and Rodrigues) in 1639 (Allen 2004). In the late 17th
and early 18th centuries slaves from Madagascar were brought to these islands (Ibid); 70% (31 076) of all
slaves brought to the islands between 1670 and 1769 were from Madagascar, while the rest came from
Mozambique, the Swahili Coast, India and West Africa (Vink 2003). At the same time Malagasy people
were also transported to Oman and the New World (Ibid). It has been estimated that over 160 000
slaves and reached the Mascarene Islands before 1810; they were brought in from India, Malaysia and
Africa (Vink 2003; Allen 2004).
In this paper, each country has its own section which includes basic information about the country as
well as information about human trafficking in the country. In addition, there is a section with information about the French overseas departments of Mayotte and Runion. As there is less information available about these two islands because they are not independent countries, this section is slightly shorter
than the others. However, this shows that research on these islands is needed to fill in the gaps. The
information is mainly gathered from the CIA World Factbook and the US Department of State Trafficking
in Persons report of 2014, but as there is at times very limited information, it is supplemented by information from academic research, International Organisations and news articles. From the US Department
of State (2014), the research uses the Tier placement of countries based on the following categorization:
Tier 1
Countries whose governments fully comply with the Trafficking Victims Protection Acts
minimum standards.
Tier 2
Countries whose governments do not fully comply with the Trafficking Victims Protection
Acts minimum standards, but are making significant efforts to bring themselves into compliance with those standards.
Tier 2 Watch List
Countries whose governments do not fully comply with the Trafficking Victims Protection
Acts minimum standards, but are making significant efforts to bring themselves into compliance with those standards and:

The absolute number of victims of severe forms of trafficking is very significant or is significantly increasing;

There is a failure to provide evidence of increasing efforts to combat severe forms of trafficking in persons from the previous year; or

The determination that a country is making significant efforts to bring itself into compliance
with minimum standards was based on commitments by the country to take additional future
steps over the next year.

Tier 3
Countries whose governments do not fully comply with the minimum standards and are
not making significant efforts to do so (Ibid.).

References:
Allen, Richard B. (2004) The Mascarine Slave-Trade and Labour Migration in the Indian ocean during the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries. In: The Structure of Slavery in Indian Africa and Asia, ed. Gwyn Campbell.
London: Frank Cass Publishers.
UNESCO (n.d.) Trade in the Indian Ocean. Available at the UNESCO website
http://www.unesco.org/new/en/culture/themes/dialogue/the-slave-route/trade-in-the-indian-ocean/ [Accessed 9 October 2014].
US Department of State (2014) Trafficking in Persons report A guide to the tiers, p.43. Available at US Department of State website http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/226844.pdf [Accessed 13 October
2014].
Vink, Markus (2003) The World's Oldest Trade": Dutch Slavery and Slave Trade in the Indian Ocean in the Seventeenth Century, Journal of World History, Vol. 14(2), pp. 131-177.

Comoros
Comoros is a small island country with a population of little over 760 000 people located between
Madagascar and Mozambique in the northern part of the Mozambique Channel (CIA World Factbook
2014). It comprises of three islands: Grande Comore, Anjouan and Moheli (Ibid). 98% of the population
is Sunni Muslim and the official languages are Arabic, French and Shikomoro (a blend of Swahili and
Arabic) (Ibid). The population of the country is young with 41.3% being under the age of 15 and the median age being 19.2 years. Child labour is an issue in the Comoros as nearly 40 000 children under the
age of 15 are working. Comoros gained independence from France in 1975 and has had more than 20
coups or attempted coups since then (Ibid), thus making the country politically instable. The current
president, Ikililou Dhoinine, has held office since May 2011 (Ibid). The country has a unicameral Assembly of the Union, and elections are due to be held in November 2014 (EISA 2014).
The Comoros is one of the worlds poorest countries (CIA World Factbook 2014) and as such listed as a
low income country (World Bank n.d.). It has a young, rapidly growing, population, few natural resources and poor transport links (CIA World Factbook 2014). Agriculture employs 80% of the work force
(Ibid). Comoros is very dependent on foreign grants and technical assistance (Ibid). According to a 2002
estimate, 60% of the population lives below the poverty line (Ibid).
The Comoros is on the Tier 2 Watch List of the US Department of State (2014) Trafficking in Persons
report. The Comoros is a source country for trafficking (Ibid). The country is a source for men and
women subjected to sex trafficking (US Department of State 2012). In addition, Children are subjected
to forced labour and, reportedly, sex trafficking (US Department of State 2014). It is common for families
in the rural areas of the two smaller islands of Anjouan and Moheli to send their children to live with
relatives or acquaintances in urban areas or to the island of Grande Comore to access schooling (Ibid).
However, some of these children are put in domestic servitude instead (Ibid). Apart from being a source
country for trafficking, Comoros may also be a transit country as there are reports of Malagasy women
being trafficked to the Middle East through the country (Ibid).
The law in the Comoros does not prohibit all forms of human trafficking (Ibid). Article 323 of the penal
code prohibits facilitating child prostitution (Ibid). The law also prohibits child pornography, and the
sexual exploitation of children (US Department of Labor 2012). Current laws do not criminalize the
forced prostitution of adults, although prostitution is illegal in the country (US Department of State
2014). Article 333 prohibits illegal restraint (US Department of State 2014). The labour code which was
updated in 2012 prohibits (but does not prescribe penalties) child trafficking (Ibid). It also states the
minimum working age to be 15 (US Department of Labor 2012). Article 2 of the labour code prohibits
forced and bonded labour (US Department of State 2014).
Major issue in fighting human trafficking in the Comoros is the endemic corruption throughout the
country (Ibid). The Trafficking in Persons report also found that the government had failed to provide
services, such as psycho-social support, to victims of trafficking, and provided little support to NGOs
doing so (Ibid).

References:
CIA World Factbook (2014) Comoros. Available at CIA website https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/theworld-factbook/geos/cn.html [Accessed 6 October 2014].
EISA (2014) African Election Calendar 2014. Available at EISA website http://www.content.eisa.org.za/oldpage/african-election-calendar-2014 [Accessed 6 October 2014].

US Department of Labor (2012) Comoros. Available at US Department of Labor website

http://www.dol.gov/ilab/reports/child-labor/comoros.htm [Accessed 6 October 2014].
US Department of State (2012) Comoros 2012 Human Rights Report. Available at US Department of State website http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/204316.pdf. [Accessed 6 October 2014].
US Department of State (2014) Trafficking in Persons report Comoros, pp.137-9. Available at US Department of
State website http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/226845.pdf [Accessed 6 October 2014].
World Bank (n.d.) Country Data: Comoros. Available at World Bank website
http://data.worldbank.org/country/comoros [Accessed 7 October 2014].

French overseas departments of Mayotte and Runion

The French overseas departments of Mayotte and Runion are located in the Indian Ocean. Mayotte is
between Comoros and Madagascar and the island is also claimed by Comoros and Runion is between
Mauritius and Madagascar. Mayotte has a population of 212 600 people (INSEE 2012) whereas Runion
has a population of 840 974 (INSEE 2013). Both Mayotte and Runion islands, are a part of France and as
a part of Frances overseas departments also a part of the European Unions outermost regions (European Commission 2014). Although they are a part of France, the economy is not at the same level with
the France mainland with a significantly lower GDP per capita. However, the economy is significantly
better compared with the other Indian Ocean island nations (Candau & Rey, 2014; Marie & Rallu, 2012).
As a part of France they are not mentioned independently in the Trafficking in Persons report, and under
the section of France they are not mentioned and it is not certain whether the French overseas departments went into the consideration of the report. France is generally a destination, transit, and a limited
source country for men, women, and children subjected to trafficking in persons, specifically forced labor
and sex trafficking. (US Department of State 2014b) France is on Tier 1 as it fully complies with the international requirement for countering human trafficking (Ibid.). As they are not independent nations,
there is very little data on human trafficking in these locations, but there are a few reports.
Due to Comoros and Mayottes proximity there are reports about Comoros that involve Mayotte. It has
been reported that approximately 200 people every year die trying to cross the sea from Comoros to
Mayotte (Frenzen 2012). Some of the people are possibly trafficking victims en route to Mayotte or
overseas. Children from Comoros travel to Mayotte and become victims of domestic servitude and prostitution. According to French officials there are as much as 3 000 unaccompanied children on Mayotte
who require urgent assistance. Moreover, Mayotte is a transit country for trafficking to Europe and the
Middle East. In particular people from Comoros and Madagascar (travelling via Comoros), where they
will board flights to the Middle East and Europe, and often endure domestic servitude (US Department
of State, 2014a; IRIN 2008). People arrive at Mayotte through small fibreglass vessels either smuggled or
trafficked. In 2010 it was reported that 342 vessels was intercepted carrying a total of 7 089 migrants,
for which 523 smugglers were arrested. Irregular migrants to Mayotte come primarily from Comoros,
but also from Madagascar, Tanzania and Iraq (UNODC, 2011).
There are very few reports on Runion Island, but based on its geographical location as quite far from
source countries such as Madagascar and Mauritius, and much further from the East African mainland,
there may be a minor flow from especially Mauritius. But for this study it has not been possible to find
any documentation except for one newspaper article from 1999. It was reported in the press in Runion
Island that advertisers were targeting tourists that young women were willing to accompany them dur-

ing their stay (Africa News Service, July 9, 1999). Whether this is still going on and if it could have been
forced prostitution or child prostitution is not known, but it would demand more investigation.

References:
Africa News Service (1999) Sex Tourism Boom In Madagascar. 9 July 1999. Available at Business Highbeam website http://business.highbeam.com/3548/article-1G1-55112942/sex-tourism-boom-madagascar [Accessed 13
October 2014].
Candau, Fabien & Rey, Serge (2014) International Trade in Outermost Europe: A Comparative Analysis of Mayotte Island and French Overseas Departments. The European Journal of Comparative Economics, Vol 11(1),
pp.123-146).
European Commission (2014) Regional policy & outermost regions. Available at European commission website
http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/activity/outermost/index_en.cfm [Accessed 13 October 2014].
Frenzen, Niels (2012) Deaths at sea at Europes other southern border Mayotte. Available at
http://migrantsatsea.org/2012/06/08/deaths-at-sea-at-europes-other-southern-border-mayotte/ [Accessed
7 October 2014].
INSEE (2012) Mayotte Infos - Population - N61. Available at INSEE website
http://www.insee.fr/fr/themes/document.asp?ref_id=19214 [Accessed 13 October 2014].
INSEE (2013) Estimation de population au 1er janvier, par rgion, sexe et grande classe d'ge Anne 2013.
Available at INSEE website http://www.insee.fr/fr/ppp/bases-de-donnees/donnees-detaillees/estimpop/estim-pop-reg-sexe-gca-1975-2013.xls [Accessed 13 October 2014].
IRIN (2008) Comoros: Hope is a boat to Mayotte. Available at http://www.irinnews.org/report/76277/comoroshope-is-a-boat-to-mayotte [Accessed 13 October 2014].
Lewis, M. Lewis (2011) Mayotte: The EUsand FrancesTroubled New Exclave. Available at
http://www.geocurrents.info/economic-geography/mayotte-the-eusand-francestroubled-new-exclave
[Accessed 13 October 2014].
Marie, Claude-Valentin & Rallu, Jean-Louis (2012) Demographic and migration trends in the outermost regions:
impacts on territorial, social and territorial cohesion?. Available at
http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/sources/docgener/studies/pdf/rup_migratory/reunion/ex_sum_reunion
_en.pdf [Accessed 13 October 2014].
UNODC (2011) Issue Paper: Smuggling of Migrants by Sea, p.16. Available at UNODC website
http://www.unodc.org/documents/human-trafficking/Migrant-Smuggling/Issue-Papers/Issue_Paper__Smuggling_of_Migrants_by_Sea [Accessed 13 October 2014].
US Department of State (2014a) Trafficking in Persons report Comoros, pp.137-139. Available at
http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/226845.pdf [Accessed 6 October 2014].
US Department of State (2014b) Trafficking in Persons report France, pp.177-179. Available at
http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/226846.pdf [Accessed 13 October 2014].

Madagascar
Madagascar is a large island located in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Mozambique (CIA World
Factbook 2014). It regained independence from France in 1960 (Ibid). Madagascar has a population of
about 23.2 million; 40.7% are under the age of 15 and the median age is 19.2 (Ibid). A little over 2/3 of
the population live in rural areas and little under 2/3 are literate (Ibid). The official languages are French
and Malagasy (Ibid). The country is governed by a president (current President Hery Martial Ra-

jaonarimampianina Rakotoarimana has been in office since January 2014), and by a se nate and a national assembly (Ibid).
The political crisis that started in 2009 had a negative impact on the tourism industry and on foreign
investment (Ibid). Madagascar is classified as a low-income country (World Bank n.d.) and 50% of the
population lives below the poverty line (CIA World Factbook 2014).
Madagascar is on the Tier 2 Watch List of the US Department of States Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report (US Department of State 2014), but it was upgraded from Tier 3 in 2012 (US Department of State
2012). According to the report, Madagascar is a source country for men, women, and children subjected
to forced labour (Ibid). In addition, women and children are subjected to sex trafficking (Ibid). Destinations countries for Malagasy women employed in domestic work are Lebanon, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia,
and in smaller numbers Jordan, Mauritius and Seychelles (Ibid). Many of the women working in the
Middle Eastern countries are exploited and abused (McNeish 2011; Putsch 2011; Zimmerman 2014).
Furthermore, Malagasy women and girls have been recruited to work as domestic workers in China and
some of them have been subjected to forced labour and sold as brides (US Department of State 2014).
Malagasy men have been subjected to forced labour aboard fishing vessels under the Chinese flag in
South Africas waters (Ibid). Malagasy people who have been trafficked are also reportedly coming back
with missing organs and some die (Zimmerman 2014).
Child trafficking is common in Madagascar. Children, mostly from rural areas, have been subjected to
prostitution, domestic servitude and forced labour in fishing, agriculture and mining (US Department of
State 2014). The problem seems to be growing: NGOs reported that child prostitution is increasing and
that child sex tourism continued to increase last year, especially in the coastal cities (Ibid). It has been
reported that in previous years children have also been trafficked to Europe through illegal adoptions
(IRIN News 2004). In 2013, a mob killed two European men who had confessed to the mob to child trafficking (BBC 2013).
After the 2009 coup, Madagascar has become one of the most under-aided countries in the world (Ross
2014). Unemployment has grown which has fuelled the need to travel abroad for work (Zimmerman
2014). The portion of people living on less than $1 a day rose from 67% to 76% (Putsch 2011). Although
migration to high-risk countries such as the Middle Eastern countries is technically illegal, many Malagasy people still make the trip, sometimes with the help of government officials (Zimmerman 2014). In
2013 the US State Departments Trafficking in Persons report estimated that 3 000 Malagasy women had
migrated to the Middle East to work as domestic help (Ross 2014).
Madagascar has an Anti-Trafficking Law No. 2007-038 which prohibits all forms of human trafficking (US
Department of State 2014). However, it only prescribes punishments for sex trafficking (Ibid). In addition, Article 263 of the labour code criminalises labour trafficking (Ibid). The law in Madagascar prescribes up to two years imprisonment for forms of child trafficking, including prostitution, forced labour
and domestic servitude (Ibid). In the reporting period, the TIP report found that the government had
prosecuted seven and convicted seven offenders under the anti-trafficking law (Ibid). The non-stringent
laws on trafficking may be conducive to a climate that promotes trafficking.

References:
BBC (2013) Madagascar mob kills Europeans over organ trafficking. 3 October 2013. Available at BBC website
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-24380937 [Accessed 6 October 2014].
CIA World Factbook (2014) Madagascar. Available at CIA website https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/theworld-factbook/geos/ma.html [Accessed 6 October 2014].

IRIN News (2004) Madagascar: Efforts to stop child trafficking. 20 September 2004. Available at IRIN news website http://www.irinnews.org/report/51422/madagascar-efforts-to-stop-child-trafficking [Accessed 6 October
2014].
McNeish, Hannah (2011) Madagascar Maids: Misery in the Middle East. 19 August 2011. Available at BBC website http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-14507719 [Accessed 6 October 2014].
Putsch, Christian (2011) Human Trafficking in the Middle East: Manolas Story. 22 June 2011. Available at World
Crunch website http://www.worldcrunch.com/world-affairs/human-trafficking-in-the-middle-east-manola-sstory/c1s3343/#.VC6RnsWSxsA [Accessed 6 October 2014].
Ross, Aaron (2014) Why Are Thousands of Malagasy Women Being Trafficked to Abusive Jobs in the Middle East?
15 April 2014. Available at The Nation website: http://www.thenation.com/article/179364/why-arethousands-malagasy-women-being-trafficked-abusive-jobs-middle-east?page=0,0# [Accessed 6 October
2014].
US Department of State (2012) Trafficking in Persons report: Madagascar, pp.231-2. Available at US Department
of State website http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/192596.pdf [Accessed on 13 October 2014].
US Department of State (2014) Trafficking in Persons report: Madagascar, pp.255-7. Available at US Department
of State website http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/226847.pdf [Accessed on 6 October 2014].
World Bank (n.d.) Country Data: Madagascar. Available at World Bank website
http://data.worldbank.org/country/madagascar [Accessed 7 October 2014].
Zimmerman Jess (2014) Madagascars Human Trafficking Victims are showing up with missing organs. 23 April
2014. Available at Global Post website
http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/africa/140422/madagascar-human-trafficking-victimsare-showing-missing-organs [Accessed 6 October 2014].

Maldives
Maldives, the smallest Asian country, comprises of 26 atolls located south-southwest of India (CIA World
Factbook 2014). The country has a population of only about 393 000 (Ibid). Estimates suggest that nearly
a third of the population is migrant workers, of which up to 50 000 have irregular status (IOM 2013). The
population is fairly young with the median age being 27.1 (Ibid). Nearly 60% of the population lives in
rural areas (Ibid). Official languages are English and Dhivehi (Ibid). Maldives gained independence from
Britain in 1965 (Ibid). The president, who is both the chief of state and the head of government, and a
unicameral parliament (Ibid) run the country.
Tourism is the biggest industry in Maldives; it accounts for nearly 30% of the GDP (Ibid). Fishing is the
second biggest sector (Ibid). The unemployment rate has been growing in recent years: it went up from
14.5% in 2010 to 28%in 2012 (Ibid). Maldives is an upper middle-income country (World Bank n.d.). In
2008, 16% of the population was living below the poverty line (CIA World Factbook 2014).
Maldives is on Tier 2 of the US State Departments Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report (US Department of
State 2014). The Maldives is both a destination country and a source country for human trafficking
(Ibid). Maldivian women and children are subjected to labour and sex trafficking, and men, women, and
children are brought into Maldives for forced labour and sex work (Ibid). There are approximately 200
000 documented and undocumented foreign workers in Maldives; most of them are men from Bangladesh and India coming to work in the construction and service sectors (Ibid). Some of them experience
forced labour in the forms of deceptive recruitment, confiscation of documents, and non-payment of
wages (Ibid). A small number of women from other Asian countries such as China, India, Sri Lanka and

Thailand as well as from Eastern Europe are trafficked into Maldives for sex work (Ibid). Some Maldivian
children are taken to the capital from other islands for domestic work and some of these children are
subjected to sexual abuse and forced labour (Ibid). The TIP report found that it is possible that Maldivian
women are trafficked to Sri Lanka for sex work (Ibid).
In 2013 Maldives was threatened with sanctions if the government did not take steps to curb human
trafficking (Rajala 2014). Maldives now has a Prevention of Human Trafficking Act, which was passed in
December 2013 (US Department of State 2014). It prohibits many, but not all, forms of labour and sex
trafficking (Ibid). While it prohibits internal and transnational trafficking, it usually requires the acts of
exploitation to be predicted on movement (Ibid). However, it does prohibit debt bondage and some
forms of child trafficking without requiring movement (Ibid). Child sex trafficking is also criminalised
(Ibid). In January 2014, it was reported that the government had made its first arrest under the new
anti-trafficking law when a Maldivian man was arrested alongside seven migrant workers (Azeez 2014).
The new anti-trafficking law designated specified public officials and NGO representatives to be authorized to identify potential victims of trafficking, who are entitled to receive rehabilitative services including shelter, health care and counselling (US Department of State 2014). However, victims of trafficking
who voluntarily entered Maldives illegally can be deported (Ibid). The government opened a state-run
shelter for female victims of trafficking in January 2014 (Ibid). It offers both domestic and foreign victims
of trafficking medical care and counselling (Ibid). Five recruitment agencies that were blacklisted were
fined in 2013 and the police continue to blacklist Maldivian recruitment agencies that engage in forgery
or fraud (Ibid). However, the authorities have not prosecuted any recruiters or agencies for fraudulent
recruitment practices (Ibid).

References:
Azeez, Azuhaar Abdul (2014) Police arrest Maldivian for human trafficking. 27 January 2014. Available at
Haveeru Online website http://www.haveeru.com.mv/news/53431 [Accessed 7 October 2014].
CIA World Factbook (2014) Maldives. Available at CIA website https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/theworld-factbook/geos/mv.html [Accessed 7 October 2014].
IOM (2013) Maldives passes bill to criminalize human trafficking. Available at IOM website
http://www.iom.int/cms/en/sites/iom/home/news-and-views/press-briefing-notes/pbn-2013/pbnlisting/maldives-passes-bill-to-criminal.html [Accessed 7 October 2014]
Rajala, Otso (2014) The illegal honeymoon: Human trafficking in the Maldives. 27 April 2014. Available at
Utrikesperspektiv website http://utrikesperspektiv.se/?p=370 http://utrikesperspektiv.se/?p=370 [Accessed
7 October 2014].
US Department of State (2014) Trafficking in Persons report: Maldives, pp.263-4. Available at
http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/226847.pdf [Accessed 7 October 2014].
World Bank (n.d.) Country Data: Maldives. Available at World Bank website
http://data.worldbank.org/country/maldives [Accessed 7 October 2014].

Mauritius
Mauritius is an island nation located approximately 800km east of Madagascar (CIA World Factbook
2014). In addition to the main island, which is also called Mauritius, the islands of Cargados Carajos
Shoals (Saint Brandon) and Rodrigues as well as the Agalega Islands belong to Mauritius
(Ibid). The country has a population of little over 1.3 million (Ibid). The population in terms of age has a

10

median age being 33.9 and with 44% being 25-54 years of age (CIA Ibid). Mauritius has the highest life
expectancy at birth out of all the Indian Ocean island nations at 75.17 years, though closely followed by
Maldives and Seychelles (Ibid). Nearly half of the population is Hindu and a little over a quarter is Roman
Catholic (Ibid). Mauritius gained independence from Britain in 1968 (Ibid). A president, prime minister
and a unicameral National Assembly (Ibid), runs the country.
Biggest economic sectors in Mauritius are sugar, tourism, textiles, and financial services (Ibid). It is an
upper middle-income country (World Bank n.d.). The country has a fairly low unemployment rate at
8.3% (CIA World Factbook 2014).
Mauritius was placed on Tier 2 on the US State Departments Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report (US Department of State 2014). It is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children
subjected to sex trafficking and forced labour (Ibid). Teenage girls of secondary school age from around
the country are induced into prostitution, often by family members or their peers, or by businesspersons
offering other types of employment (Ibid). Mauritian adults have been identified as victims of labour
trafficking in the UK, Belgium and Canada in recent years (Ibid). Mauritius is used a transit country for
Malagasy women en route to the Middle East to work as domestic help (Ibid). Previously migrants from
Cambodia, India, China, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Madagascar have been subjected to forced labour in
the fishing, manufacturing and construction industries (Ibid).
Mauritius has a Combating of Trafficking in Persons Act which was passed in 2009 but the TIP report
found that the government has decreased enforcement efforts of the law (Ibid). The law prohibits all
forms of trafficking of children and adults (Ibid). The offence of child trafficking was established in 2004
(UNODC 2009) and the Child Protection Act of 2005 prohibits child trafficking (US Department of State
2014). Three persons were arrested in 2007 for child trafficking (UNODC 2009). 2007-2010 61% of people prosecuted for trafficking were women and all people convicted of trafficking were nationals of
Mauritius (UNODC 2012a). There has been no report of any prosecutions involving adult victims of sex
trafficking (US Department of State 2014). In addition, the government has never taken any law enforcement action regarding forced labour (Ibid). The government does not provide any services to adult
victims of trafficking and some adult victims may have been penalised for unlawful acts committed as
the direct result of being trafficked (Ibid). Nearly 65% of reported victims were girls, nearly 30% adult
women, and around 5% were adult men (UNODC 2012b). All the reported victims were nationals and
trafficked for sexual exploitation (Ibid).
There is a government funded NGO-run centre for sexually abused children (Curpen 2014). In 2010 they
advised five girls engaged in prostitution (Ibid).

References:
CIA World Factbook (2014) Mauritius. Available at CIA website https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/theworld-factbook/geos/mp.html [Accessed 7 October 2014].
Curpen, Indradev (2014) Human trafficking: An abusive modern day slavery. 21 March 2014. Available at Defimedia website http://www.defimedia.info/news-sunday/society/item/49764-human-trafficking-an-abusivemodern-day-slavery.html [Accessed 7 October 2014].
UNODC (2009) Global Report on Trafficking in Persons. Available at UNODC website
https://www.unodc.org/documents/human-trafficking/Global_Report_on_TIP.pdf. [Accessed 7 October
2014].

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UNODC (2012a) Global Report on Trafficking in Persons pp.270-1. Available at UNODC website
https://www.unodc.org/documents/data-and-analysis/glotip/Trafficking_in_Persons_2012_web.pdf. [Accessed 7 October 2014].
UNODC (2012b) Country Profiles: Mauritius. Available at UNODC website
https://www.unodc.org/documents/data-and-analysis/glotip/Country_Profiles_Africa_Middle_East.pdf [Accessed 7 October 2014].
US Department of State (2014) Trafficking in Persons report: Mauritius. Available at US Department of State
website http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/226847.pdf [Accessed 7 October 2014].
World Bank (n.d.) Country Data: Mauritius. Available at World Bank website
http://data.worldbank.org/country/mauritius [Accessed 7 October 2014].

Seychelles
Seychelles is an archipelago in the Indian Ocean Northeast of Madagascar (CIA World Factbook 2014). It
is a small country with a population of approximately 91 650 (Ibid). The population has a median age of
33.9 (Ibid). The official languages are Seychellois Creole, English and French (Ibid). Over 85% of the
population is Christian, mainly Roman Catholic (Ibid). Seychelles became independent from the UK in
1976 (Ibid). A president who is both the chief of state and the head of government, and a unicameral
National Assembly (Ibid) runs the country.
The country has been moving away from being dependant on tourism by investing in fishing, farming
and manufacturing (Ibid). The country has a low unemployment rate at 2% (Ibid). Seychelles is an upper
middle income country (World Bank n.d.).
Seychelles is on Tier 2 of US State Departments Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report (US Department of
State 2014). It was upgraded to that status from the Tier 2 Watch List (Amra 2014). It is both a source
and a destination country; Seychellois children and foreign women are subjected to sex trafficking and
foreign men to labour trafficking (US Department of State 2014). Seychellois girls, and possibly boys, are
induced into prostitution by family members and peers as well as pimps for exploitation in bars, hotels,
nightclubs and brothels among other places (Ezeilo 2014, US Department of State 2014). Foreign women
have also been trafficked in to Seychelles; reportedly in 2012 Ukrainian women who had been sold into
sex slavery to the Seychelles and United Arab Emirates were returned to their native country (RIA Novosti 2012). It was also found that migrant workers have been subjected to forced labour in the construction and fishing industries (Ezeilo 2014, US Department of State 2014). Source countries include
Bangladesh, China, India, Kenya, Madagascar, Sri Lanka and the Philippines (Ezeilo 2014).
Seychelles has a new anti-trafficking law passed in April 2014 called the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons Act (US Department of State 2014). It prohibits all forms of trafficking in children and adults (Ibid).
Child prostitution is also prohibited under the anti-trafficking law but as the age of consent is 15 and age
of legal majority is 18, there has been some confusion which has impacted the enforcement of laws
relating to child prostitution (Ibid). The TIP report found that the government has not prosecuted any
trafficking cases or convicted any trafficking offenders so far. There is a lack of understanding of what
constitutes human trafficking but despite this; no training for law enforcement officials has been provided (Ibid). The government has shown negligible efforts to identify and protect victims of trafficking
and does not provide any protective services to trafficking victims (Ibid). Migrants who gathered to protest abuses relating to their employment have been deported (Ibid).

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Joy Ngozi Ezeilo (2014) found that there is a lack of awareness of human trafficking in Seychelles and so
the issue remains hidden. The popularity of Seychelles as a destination country for sex trafficking may
increase in the future (Ezeilo 2014). The demand for labour in the construction and fishing industries, as
well as the need for cheap domestic work, fuel trafficking (Ibid).

References:
Amla, Hajira (2014) Seychelles removed from US human trafficking watchlist. 23 June 2014. Available at Seychelles News Agency website
http://www.seychellesnewsagency.com/articles/805/Seychelles+removed+from+US+human+trafficking+wat
chlist [Accessed 7 October 2014].
CIA World Factbook (2014) Seychelles. Available at CIA website https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/theworld-factbook/geos/se.html [Accessed 7 October 2014].
Ezeilo, Joy Ngozi (2014) Report of the Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially women and children, on her mission to Seychelles (2731 January 2014). 5 June 2014. Available at OHCHR website
http://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/HRC/RegularSessions/Session26/Documents/A-HRC-26-37Add7_en.doc [Accessed 7 October 2014].
RIA Novosti (2012) Ukrainians Return from Sex Slavery from Seychelles, UAE. Available at RIA Novosti website
http://en.ria.ru/world/20120530/173748518.html [Accessed 7 October 2014].
US Department of State (2014) Trafficking in Persons report: Seychelles, pp.238-240. Available at US Department
of State website http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/226848.pdf [Accessed 7 October 2014].
World Bank (n.d.) Country Data: Seychelles. Available at World Bank website
http://data.worldbank.org/country/seychelles [Accessed 7 October 2014].

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Going forward
As slave trade was a prominent feature and even the grounding blocks for some islands in the Indian
Ocean, it continues to ravage the Indian Ocean countries at different levels, now in the form of human
trafficking or modern day slavery.
Human trafficking is present in every country in the world in different forms and in different numbers,
but in some countries in the Indian Ocean islands, it is rampant. Whereas Mauritius, Maldives and Seychelles has, according to the TIP report, started to take steps to curb human trafficking, however, much
is still left to be done. Comoros and Madagascar has not done much and should take steps to limit trafficking. According to the Tier placement by the US Department of State, the Indian Ocean islands are
placed as follows:

Tier 1: French overseas departments of Mayotte and Runion

Tier 2: Maldives and Mauritius and Seychelles

Tier 2 Watch List: Comoros and Madagascar

Tier 3: No countries currently

The common challenge that the countries in the Indian Ocean faces in relation to trafficking is connected to tourism. In the countries with low levels of regulation and implementation of laws, sex tourism as well as child prostitution is flourishing as well as source for forced labour for the tourism industry.
The other countries are primarily destination and transit countries, where men, women and children
come or transit through to live in modern slavery conditions as domestic workers, prostitutes and in the
construction industry.
More academic research is needed on human trafficking in these countries. However, the type of research will differ for each country. The research will reveal the real numbers and also expose the challenges that each country faces. Although Mayotte and Runion are a part of France and are quite affluent as well as being on the Tier 1, there should be more research to determine their role as destination
and transit territories. The Indian Ocean countries are a diverse collection of low and middle-income
countries that face different challenges concerning human trafficking. Therefore, the approach in countering the issue of trafficking in each country should be based on the challenges of that particular country.
One of the primary issues when countering human trafficking is increasing awareness in a society.
Awareness is a part of the prevention part in the Four Ps from the United Nations Inter-Agency Project
on Human Trafficking:
1.

Prevention;

2.

Prosecution;

3.

Protection, Recovery and Reintegration; and

4.

Policy and Cooperation.

All of which should be the foundation for land-specific strategies to combat human trafficking in the
Indian Ocean countries. However, awareness may be the first step in most cases. Vulnerable groups should
be aware of the potential risk, victims of trafficking need to be aware of their rights, and traffickers
should be aware that their activities are violating the human rights of individuals. The level of awareness
will vary in each country, which means that the strategies to eradicate human trafficking most be based
on specific research about the conditions and the level of awareness.

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