While Lesotho’s landscapes may be breathtaking, the small African Kingdom grapples with a persistent issue that often lurks in the shadows – human trafficking. Lesotho’s geographical position, surrounded entirely by South Africa, presents both opportunities and challenges for the nation. Being landlocked within South Africa makes eliminating human trafficking extremely difficult as there are countless routes for vulnerable people to be smuggled across the border.
Poverty serves as the breeding ground for human trafficking in Lesotho. With over half the population living below the poverty line and an unemployment rate that hovers around 80%, individuals are desperate for economic opportunities.
In many instances, desperate families send their children to South Africa in hopes they have more economic or educational opportunity, which often lands them in the hands of traffickers. Traffickers typically target rural communities, where employment rates are particularly low and where the gender-imbalance is more pronounced. In rural communities it is also easier for traffickers to slip through the cracks of law enforcement and hide in the mountains.
“In Lesotho, traffickers exploit Basotho children, especially orphans, in forced labor in domestic servitude and animal herding and in sex trafficking. Young girls employed in domestic work in exchange for room and board are vulnerable to forced labor and abuse.” – from the 2023 Trafficking in Persons report
Help Lesotho’s programs (like the Pearl Program) work to actively inform participants about the dangers of human trafficking and how to protect themselves against potential situations where they could be vulnerable to traffickers. Their edu-tainment group GIRL4ce works to spread the word in rural communities throughout Lesotho, educating communities on how to understand the signs of human trafficking and protect its citizens.
Addressing poverty is crucial to breaking the vicious cycle that enables human trafficking to thrive. Initiatives that focus on education and creating employment opportunities can empower individuals, making them less susceptible to the allure of traffickers.
Help Lesotho remains dedicated to actively promoting the message on safeguarding women and children, and entire communities from this pervasive crime. Pearls4Girls is a social enterprise of Help Lesotho, supporting the Pearl Program. For more information on other Help Lesotho programs, visit the website.