Human trafficking "disguised" as labour externalisation? Revisiting the law and practice in East Africa

Abstract

Abstract

en Africa is the world’s youngest continent, with over 70 per cent of its population aged under 30 years. Several African governments, individually and collectively, have implemented laws and policies aimed at maximising the potential that the young population brings to the economy. This ranges from creating avenues for employment through agriculture to investment in the entertainment industry, vocational training, industrial development, and fostering trade through regional economic communities. With all these efforts, African governments have not been able to completely absorb the continental workforce in the domestic labour market, thereby fortifying the need for labour externalisation. However, the emergence of labour externalisation programmes has seen the rise of reports of African youths being abused, exploited, dispossessed of their passports and having their body organs harvested without their consent. Nevertheless, there is a dearth of literature analysing these incidents, their relation with the crime of human trafficking, as well as the legal and policy safeguards against these incidents. This chapter fills this void by analysing the legal norms in East Africa with Tanzania as a case study.