U.S. Department of State 2001 Trafficking in Persons Report - Sudan

Sudan (Tier 3)

Sudan is a both a destination country for trafficked persons and a country in which internal trafficking in persons is widespread. Internal trafficking in Sudan generally is initiated by government-affiliated militias or raiders as part of a strategy against the rebel forces of the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA). The militias or raiders abduct women and children as remuneration for their services and keep some of those abducted for domestic servitude, forced labor, or as sex slaves; others are given to relatives and fellow tribespeople for similar purposes. In addition to the slavery perpetrated by Sudanese actors, during the last 10 years the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), a Ugandan rebel group, has kidnapped Ugandan children, taken them to southern Sudan, and forced them to become soldiers or sex slaves.

The Government of Sudan does not meet the minimum standards to combat trafficking in persons and the Government has not yet made significant efforts to combat trafficking. The Government tolerates, and sometimes encourages, such activities because they are seen as contributing to the Government's war effort by providing compensation to raiders and militias for protecting troops and by disrupting and terrorizing southern communities. The Government of Sudan in the past has supported the LRA, although the Government agreed to cease supporting the LRA in December 1999 and has taken steps in this direction. There are no laws specifically against trafficking. Laws against rape, abduction, and unlawful detention are part of the 1991 Penal Code, but the Government has made no efforts to identify or prosecute traffickers or others who have committed criminal acts against abductees. In 1996 the Government established the Special Commission to Investigate Slavery and Disappearance in response to a resolution passed by the UN General Assembly in 1995. The Commission technically still is functioning but has yet to produce a final report. In May 1998, the Government formed the Committee for the Eradication of the Abduction of Women and Children (CEAWAC). CEWAC oversees traditional chiefs who attempt to identify and locate abducted individuals. Since the creation of CEAWAC, about 340 abducted individuals have been returned to their homes. The Government has expended limited resources in identifying abductees and placing them in relocation centers or with relatives prior to their repatriation.