Somalia Logs Zero Human Trafficking Investigations in 2025 as Prosecutions and Convictions Climb, US Report Shows
Somalia Logs Zero Human Trafficking Investigations in 2025 as Prosecutions and Convictions Climb, US Report Shows
Somalia continues to be designated a Special Case country in the fight against human trafficking, constrained by prolonged conflict, widespread insecurity and ongoing humanitarian crises that severely limit government, international and nongovernmental operations. The Federal Government of Somalia maintains control primarily over the capital Mogadishu, while Federal Member State authorities hold their respective capitals. Insecurity restricts federal influence beyond the capital, allowing the al-Qaida-affiliated terrorist group Al-Shabaab to occupy large rural areas and move freely in others. The group continues to exploit local populations through illegal taxation, launches indiscriminate attacks on civilians and infrastructure, and actively engages in human trafficking. Its sustained insurgency remains a major barrier to anti-trafficking work.
Authorities at both federal and member state levels made mixed law enforcement efforts. Somalia still lacks a comprehensive legal framework specifically addressing human trafficking. The pre-1991 penal code, applied at federal and regional levels, criminalizes labor trafficking and certain forms of sex trafficking. Penalties under relevant articles range from six months to 20 years in prison and are generally considered sufficiently stringent, though some provisions for compelled prostitution fall short of those for other serious crimes such as rape. The provisional constitution prohibits slavery, servitude, trafficking and forced labor, and bans the use of children in armed conflict. Puntland has a 2017 anti-trafficking law, but implementation remains limited.
Neither the federal government nor the Federal Member States collected comprehensive statistics on trafficking-related law enforcement activity, hindering national data collection and analysis. In 2025 the government reported no trafficking investigations, a sharp drop from 31 the previous year. Prosecutions under trafficking-related sections of the penal code rose to 128 from 31, and courts convicted 21 traffickers, up from nine. No sentencing details were provided. Officials often conflate human trafficking with migrant smuggling and focus on transnational cases, raising the possibility that some reported matters did not involve forced labor or sex trafficking. Prosecutors frequently charged suspects under related statutes carrying lighter penalties.
No investigations, prosecutions or convictions of government employees allegedly involved in trafficking were reported, though corruption and official complicity remain significant concerns that undermine enforcement. Law enforcement, prosecutors and courts continue to face shortages of staff and training. Specialized anti-trafficking units exist within the Somali Police Force in Mogadishu, Puntland and South West State, along with a small number of dedicated positions and a specialized unit in the Office of the Attorney General. However, these resources are concentrated in urban areas, leaving rural and conflict zones underserved. No anti-trafficking training for law enforcement was reported, though cooperation with INTERPOL on operations continued.
For the second consecutive year the government identified no trafficking victims. Nongovernmental organizations reported identifying 238. Standard operating procedures for screening and identification exist but are applied inconsistently across agencies and locations. Formal victim certification is not required for emergency medical care but is needed for longer-term specialized services. The government continues to depend almost entirely on international organizations and nongovernmental groups for shelter, health care, counseling, legal assistance and repatriation support. Quality and availability of care vary widely, with limited shelter space, insufficient trauma-informed psychosocial services and restricted access to legal help. Shelter options for adult male victims remain especially scarce. No government funding for victim services was allocated. There are no reported legal alternatives to the removal of foreign victims to countries where they might face hardship, nor government benefits for foreign victims. Victim-witness assistance to support participation in court proceedings was also not provided. Inconsistent application of screening procedures means potential victims risk inappropriate penalization for acts committed as a direct result of being trafficked.
No prevention efforts were reported. The government lacks an interagency task force and a national action plan, allocated no dedicated prevention funds, conducted no public awareness campaigns and operates no anti-trafficking hotline, though a migration response center in Bosasso maintains one. No measures to reduce demand for commercial sex were taken. Efforts to regulate labor recruiters or hold them accountable for fraudulent recruitment were not reported. A labor code and national labor migration strategy exist, and 35 labor inspectors are employed, but no training of inspectors on trafficking indicators was described. A bilateral labor agreement with Saudi Arabia remains in place without reported activity under it this year. Diplomatic personnel received no anti-trafficking training.
The security situation and restrictions on humanitarian access continue to impede efforts against the unlawful recruitment and use of child soldiers. Al-Shabaab regularly recruits children, deploying boys as combatants, spies and logistical support staff while subjecting girls to forced marriage and sexual exploitation. United Nations reports during the period indicated some use or recruitment of children by Somali security forces, mostly in support roles. Clan militias also recruited or used children as fighters, informants and aides. In response the government formed an Interministerial Committee on Children and Armed Conflict, co-chaired by the Ministry of Defense Child Protection Unit and an international partner. Security forces worked with the United Nations and partners on age-screening to remove underage recruits and trained personnel on child protection obligations and handover procedures for children separated from armed groups.
Human traffickers exploit both domestic and foreign victims inside Somalia and Somali nationals abroad. Information on trends remains difficult to obtain and verify. Al-Shabaab facilitates trafficking through deception, infiltration of religious schools and mosques, coercion of clan elders and families, school raids and abductions. The group recruits and uses victims, including children, in combat and support roles and exploits women and girls in sexual slavery and forced marriage. Internally displaced persons, minority communities, people living under Al-Shabaab control and children in informal sectors are among the most vulnerable to sex trafficking and forced labor. Some families voluntarily hand children to relatives or clan members who later exploit them; others push children toward armed groups after financial hardship or attacks. Children face forced labor in agriculture, domestic work, herding, khat trade, stone crushing, fishing, begging and construction.
Recruitment increasingly occurs via social media, travel agencies, informal job sites, community groups and messaging channels that advertise false employment offers. Traffickers exploit Somalis and neighboring-country nationals along established cross-border migration routes. International organizations recorded a sharp rise in Somali migration along western sea routes to Europe in 2025, with arrivals more than tripling from the previous year. Most of these migrants are men aged 18 to 29 driven by conflict, economic hardship and violence, factors closely linked to elevated trafficking risks.
In the Somaliland region, administered as a de facto independent area though recognized by the United States as part of Somalia, economic migrants and refugees from Ethiopia and Yemen, as well as returnees from Yemen and Saudi Arabia, remain vulnerable. Some women in the region reportedly act as recruiters or intermediaries moving victims to Djibouti and Ethiopia for domestic forced labor or sex trafficking.
Overall, Somalia’s anti-trafficking response remains heavily constrained by insecurity, limited institutional capacity, inconsistent data collection and heavy reliance on external partners for victim protection, even as prosecutions and convictions under existing laws increased.