The Government of Zimbabwe does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking. Despite making significant efforts to do so, it did not demonstrate overall increasing efforts compared with the previous reporting period; therefore, Zimbabwe remained on Tier 2 Watch List for the second consecutive year. Significant efforts included identifying more trafficking victims, investigating officials allegedly complicit in trafficking crimes, and signing an MOU with an NGO to conduct anti-trafficking training for officials.
However, the government did not amend its anti-trafficking law to criminalize all forms of trafficking. Reports of low-level official complicity in trafficking crimes persisted. The government decreased anti-trafficking funding, closed one shelter, and disbanded its six provincial task forces that investigated trafficking and coordinated victim services, hindering overall efforts.
Amend the anti-trafficking law to criminalize all forms of trafficking in line with the 2000 UN TIP Protocol.Dedicate resources to the Anti-Trafficking Inter-Ministerial Committee (ATIMC) and implement the National Plan of Action.Using the SOPs and NRM for Vulnerable Migrants in Zimbabwe for victim identification and referral to care, proactively identify and refer to care trafficking victims among vulnerable populations, including orphaned and unaccompanied children, migrant workers, domestic trafficking victims, and Cuban regime-affiliated medical professionals, and train stakeholders on the SOPs.Increase the availability of protection services, including shelters, for all trafficking victims, including by collaborating with civil society service providers.Increase efforts to investigate and prosecute trafficking crimes, including of complicit officials, and seek adequate penalties for convicted traffickers, which should involve significant prison terms.Consistently enforce regulations of labor recruitment companies, including by eliminating worker-paid recruitment fees, holding fraudulent labor recruiters criminally accountable, screening for trafficking during inspections, and implementing SOPs for ethical recruitment.Expedite trafficking court cases to eliminate the backlog.Adequately fund and provide specialized training to law enforcement, prosecutors, and judges to conduct trafficking investigations and prosecutions, using a victim-centered approach.Develop mutual legal assistance treaties and other agreements with foreign governments to facilitate information-sharing.Collect data on human trafficking trends within Zimbabwe to better inform government anti-trafficking efforts. Amend the anti-trafficking law to criminalize all forms of trafficking in line with the 2000 UN TIP Protocol. Dedicate resources to the Anti-Trafficking Inter-Ministerial Committee (ATIMC) and implement the National Plan of Action.
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Using the SOPs and NRM for Vulnerable Migrants in Zimbabwe for victim identification and referral to care, proactively identify and refer to care trafficking victims among vulnerable populations, including orphaned and unaccompanied children, migrant workers, domestic trafficking victims, and Cuban regime-affiliated medical professionals, and train stakeholders on the SOPs. Increase the availability of protection services, including shelters, for all trafficking victims, including by collaborating with civil society service providers. Increase efforts to investigate and prosecute trafficking crimes, including of complicit officials, and seek adequate penalties for convicted traffickers, which should involve significant prison terms.
Consistently enforce regulations of labor recruitment companies, including by eliminating worker-paid recruitment fees, holding fraudulent labor recruiters criminally accountable, screening for trafficking during inspections, and implementing SOPs for ethical recruitment. Expedite trafficking court cases to eliminate the backlog. Adequately fund and provide specialized training to law enforcement, prosecutors, and judges to conduct trafficking investigations and prosecutions, using a victim-centered approach. Develop mutual legal assistance treaties and other agreements with foreign governments to facilitate information-sharing.
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