Swaziland on Tuesday vowed to implement a law against human trafficking, after the United States last week blacklisted the tiny mountain kingdom for failing to take action against the crime.
Swaziland was among 17 countries on the blacklist that could face sanctions, including the withholding of non-humanitarian, non-trade related US aid.
Countries on the list were identified by the State Department for lax efforts in fighting trafficking in humans for forced labour, prostitution, military service and other reasons.
Foreign Minister Lufto Dlamini told the Times of Swaziland that the kingdom — Africa’s last absolute monarchy — currently has no law against trafficking but was working to approve new legislation to address the US concerns.
”I would like to assure the nation that we are doing everything possible to meet the deadline set by the US government,” he said in the newspaper.
”We cannot afford to be listed as a human-trafficking state,” he said.
”I am confident that the Bill would be taken to Parliament to be adopted as law,” he added. ”One interesting thing was that the US was willing to assist us to end these illegal acts,” Dlamini said.
Other African countries on the US blacklist were Chad, Eritrea, Niger, Mauritania, Sudan and Zimbabwe. — Sapa-AFP