Senegal
Sex Trafficking in Senegal
The Kédougou region of Senegal has experienced a gold rush boom in artisanal and small-scale mining. It is a primary source of income for communities in the region, but it has led to sex trafficking of adolescent girls and young women within Senegal as well as in neighboring countries such as The Gambia, Guinea-Conakry, Guinea Bissau, Nigeria, and Ghana. They are often lured from their communities with promises of formal employment in Europe or elsewhere, but find themselves trapped in forced sex work.
Our Solutions in Senegal
Free the Slaves has launched a program to reduce the prevalence of sex trafficking among girls and women aged 15-24 in Kédougou and Saraya, Senegal. In addition, Free the Slaves will increase the number of victims receiving social services.
Project objectives:
- Enhance the technical capacity and coordination skills among grassroots partners to effectively deliver on their mandate to provide services to victims of sex trafficking and their families
- Enhance the technical capacity and coordination mechanisms among government stakeholders (law enforcement, judiciary, social service providers) to effectively deliver their mandate to provide services to victims and survivors of trafficking and their families
- Increase knowledge, attitudes, and practices among stakeholders in the mining sector and the public (media, community-level actors, leaders, and opinion leaders)
- Remove 200 adolescent girls and young women from sex trafficking in the mining sector and provide shelter services to at least 160 survivors
- Reintegrate 100 Senegalese survivors of sex trafficking rescued by the project and ensure that their families have access to socio-economic and livelihood services
- Establish five survivor networks to support advocacy for increased access to social and economic services
- Reintegrate in Senegal or voluntarily repatriate 100 foreign victims of sex trafficking
Project Funders
The Center on Human Trafficking Research and Outreach
The United States Department of State Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons
These activities are funded by the U.S. Department of State Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons. The opinions, findings, and conclusions therein are those of the author[s] and do not necessarily reflect those of the United States Department of State.
Our Partners in Senegal
Free the Slaves collaborats with…
- La Lumière
- AJS – Association des Juristes Sénégalaises
The Latest From Senegal
Rallying for Urgent Action: Free the Slaves Convenes Strategic Meeting in Dakar
Free the Slaves convened a high-level strategic meeting in Dakar to confront the rising crisis of sexual exploitation in the gold mining zones of Kédougou. The gathering brought together Senegalese authorities, international partners, and regional experts to strengthen coordination, accelerate protection efforts, and ensure survivor-centered support for the hundreds of girls and women affected. This meeting marks a critical step toward a unified, urgent response to a rapidly escalating humanitarian issue.
A Journey of Hope: Ten Survivors Safely Repatriated from Senegal to Nigeria
Ten young Nigerian women trafficked to Senegal have returned home through a coordinated repatriation mission led by Free the Slaves and partners. Their journey marks not just a return, but a renewal—demonstrating how survivor-centered support, cross-border collaboration, and sustained community mechanisms continue to create pathways from exploitation to empowerment, long after projects formally close.
Building Futures in Akure: Survivors Turn Courage into Opportunity
In Akure, Nigeria, seventeen survivors took their next steps toward independence. Gathered for a two-day workshop hosted by Free the Slaves (FTS) and Emmanuel World Children Foundation—with support from the Center on Human Trafficking Research and Outreach (CenHTRO)—they learned new skills, shared experiences, and received tools to rebuild their livelihoods. What began as a training became a celebration of resilience: survivors standing together, leaders listening, and a community committing to sustained empowerment long after rescue.