PROSECUTION
The government demonstrated limited law enforcement efforts. The Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons Act of 2014 prohibits all forms of trafficking in adults and children. Although the law is sufficiently broad and the penalties sufficiently stringent, adult sex trafficking does not carry a penalty that is commensurate with the penalties imposed for other serious crimes. The law prescribes penalties of a maximum of 14 years’ imprisonment, and in cases involving children or aggravating circumstances, a maximum of 25 years’ imprisonment; these penalties are sufficiently stringent. The penalties for child trafficking are commensurate with those for other serious crimes, such as rape, but the penalties for adult sex trafficking are not. Elements of human trafficking are also prohibited under a variety of other statutes, including Section 259 of the penal code prohibiting slavery and Section 251 of the penal code prohibiting forced labor; the government prosecutes some human trafficking cases under these laws. Although all forms of child prostitution are prohibited under the anti-trafficking law, enforcement of this prohibition may be hampered by unclear and conflicting statutes in other areas of the penal code which do not clearly define the ages of consent and legal majority, creating confusion between the traditionally understood age of consent (15 years of age) and the legal age of majority (18 years of age).The government did not prosecute or convict any trafficking offenders during the reporting period.The government opened three investigations of potential trafficking cases; however, ultimately the investigations revealed they were not trafficking. Law enforcement officials lacked sufficient training to effectively investigate trafficking cases; however, 25 law enforcement officers participated in awareness, raising and capacity, building activities provided by the government, in collaboration with international donors. The government did not report any investigations, prosecutions, or convictions of government officials complicit in human trafficking offenses.

PROTECTION
The government demonstrated minimal efforts to identify and protect victims. It did not identify or provide protective services to any trafficking victims.There are no shelters or protective services specifically for trafficking victims in the country. The Department of Social Affairs provided counseling to women in prostitution, some of whom may have been victims of forced prostitution. The national anti-trafficking committee began the development of a victim assistance tool, which will include standard operating procedures and victim identification and referral mechanisms; the tool was not finalized at the end of the reporting period.There were no reports of victims being penalized for unlawful acts committed as a result of being subjected to trafficking; however, the lack of formal identification procedures likely resulted in some victims remaining unidentified in the law enforcement system. Additionally, migrant workers who strike are considered to be in breach of their work contracts and can be deported at the will of

their employers. Several migrant workers who gathered to protest a variety of abuses relating to their employment were deported during the reporting period; these deportations took place without conducting comprehensive investigations or screenings to identify if the individuals were victims of forced labor.

PREVENTION
The government increased prevention efforts. The national anti-trafficking committee served as a coordinating body for collaboration and communication on trafficking matters; the committee met regularly during the reporting period, but did not receive a dedicated budget and relied on ad hoc funding from various government agencies. As a result, the implementation of the 2014-2015 national action plan was slow and many activities remained in early planning stages. The government conducted a two-month nationwide media campaign to raise awareness on trafficking; the campaign was funded by an international organization. As part of this campaign, the Ministry of Home Affairs andTransport developed a website to educate the general public on how to identify and report trafficking offenses. The Ministry of Labor and Human Resource Development employed 11 labor inspectors responsible for conducting inspections of all workplaces in the country and one labor officer assigned to inform all migrant workers of their employment rights; government officials acknowledged this number was inadequate and inspectors lacked basic resources to perform their duties adequately. Despite several complaints by migrant workers, primarily in the construction sector, about poor working conditions, nonpayment of salaries, and retention of passports, the government has never identified a case of forced labor in the country.The government made no discernible efforts to decrease the demand for commercial sex acts or forced labor during the reporting period.The government did not provide anti-trafficking training or guidance for its diplomatic personnel.

SIERRA LEONE: Tier 2 
Sierra Leone is a source and destination country for men, women, and children subjected to forced labor and sex trafficking.Victims originate largely from rural provinces and are recruited to urban and mining centers for the purposes of exploitation in prostitution, domestic servitude, and forced labor in artisanal diamond and granite mining, petty trading, portering, rock breaking, street crime, and begging. Trafficking victims may also be found in the fishing and agricultural sectors or subjected to sex trafficking or forced labor through customary practices, such as forced or arranged marriages. Some Sierra Leoneans voluntarily migrate to other West African countries, including Mauritania and Guinea, as well as to the Middle East and Europe, where some are subjected to forced labor and forced prostitution. Children from neighboring West African countries are exploited in forced begging, forced labor, and prostitution. Indian, Sri Lankan, and Chinese men have been subjected to forced labor within Sierra Leone.
The Government of Sierra Leone does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so. During the reporting period, an outbreak of Ebola Virus Disease severely affected the country and overwhelmed the government’s resources and capacity to effectively address a variety of issues, including trafficking in persons.The government did not convict any traffickers, did not

provide victim identification data, and the national anti-trafficking taskforce suspended their meetings as officials were reassigned to address the Ebola crisis. However, the government provided anti-trafficking training to law enforcement officers, drafted a national referral mechanism for trafficking victims, and expanded protections for migrant laborers by conducting investigations of recruitment agencies and implementing strict licensing procedures. Sierra Leone also acceded to the 2000 UN TIP Protocol.