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Lesotho accused of ignoring human trafficking warnings

Publish date: 22 February 2021
Issue Number: 910
Diary: IBA Legalbrief Africa
Category: Trade

A rights group has slammed the Lesotho Government for its alleged failure to address human trafficking concerns raised by the US. Lesotho was last year placed in Tier 3, the lowest ranking in the US State Department's Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report for 2020. The Transformation Resource Centre accused Maseru of paying lip service to the US Government's concerns. It said the lack of seriousness in addressing the issue could lead to the loss of economic opportunities which Lesotho had gained over the years from US development assistance programmes. It further warned that it could see Washington carrying out its threat to revoke Lesotho's eligibility for preferential trade benefits under the African Growth and Opportunity Act. The Lesotho Times reports that the legislation allows Lesotho to export textile products to the US duty-free, making them highly competitive. It resulted in many Taiwanese and Chinese entrepreneurs moving to Lesotho in the early 2000s to establish large textile factories that now employ about 45 000 Basotho.

Full Lesotho Times report

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