04.06.2008 - Source: US Department of State

Sudanese women and girls are trafficked within the country and to Middle Eastern countries; militia groups in Darfur abduct women for forced labour and sexual exploitation; thousands of Dinka and Nuba children and women have been abducted and enslaved ("Trafficking in Persons Report 2008") [ID 23838]

"Sudanese women and girls are trafficked within the country, as well as possibly to Middle Eastern countries such as Qatar, for domestic servitude.

In 2007, Greek law enforcement authorities identified a female sex trafficking victim from Sudan. [...]

Militia groups in Darfur, some of which are linked to the government, abduct women for short periods of forced labor and to perpetrate sexual violence.

Forcible recruitment of adults and particularly children by virtually all armed groups involved in Sudan's concluded north-south civil war was commonplace; thousands of children still associated with these forces await demobilization and reintegration into their communities of origin.

In addition to the exploitation of children by armed groups during the two decades-long northsouth civil war, thousands of Dinka women and children were abducted and subsequently enslaved by members of the Missiriya and Rezeigat tribes during this time.

An unknown number of children from the Nuba tribe were similarly abducted and enslaved.

A portion of those who were abducted and enslaved remained with their abductors in South Darfur and West Kordofan and experienced varying types of treatment; others were sold or given to third parties, including in other regions of the country; and some ultimately escaped from their captors.

While there have been no known new abductions of Dinka by members of Baggara tribes in the last few years, inter-tribal abductions continue in southern Sudan, especially in Jonglei and Eastern Equatoria states."

Document(s): Country Narratives: S through Z
Full Report

05.2008 - Source: Sudan Organisation Against Torture

Thousands of people, particularly women and children, enslaved in 2 decades of civil war; victims of abduction used for labour as well as for forced marriage and sexual slavery ("Alternative Report To Sudan’s Periodic Report Before the 43rd Session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (Swaziland, May 2008)") [ID 24340]

"Prior to the signing of the CPA in 2005, more than two decades of civil war in the South between government forces and the SPLM fuelled conditions which led to thousands of people, particularly women and children, being enslaved.

Slave raids were carried out by a government-backed armed militia known as the Muraheleen, which drew members from the Baggara ethnic group.

These raids primarily targeted Dinka villages in the province of Bahr el-Ghazal.

Thousands of women and children who were captured in the course of the raids were forced into different kinds of abuse, including forced labour as domestic workers, cattle herders and agricultural workers, as well as forced marriage and sexual slavery."

Document(s): Open document

11.03.2008 - Source: US Department of State

Government is allegedly responsible for politically motivated disappearances; abduction of Dinka women; abduction of women and children ("Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2007") [ID 22818]

"There were continued allegations that the government was responsible for politically motivated disappearances, including those of persons suspected of supporting rebels, especially in Darfur.

An estimated 15,000 Dinka women and children were abducted, mainly from 1983 to 1999; thousands of these remained unaccounted for at year's end.

Observers believed that some of those abducted in the past were sold into de facto slavery as forced laborers, while others were drafted into the military.

In some cases the abductees escaped or eventually were released or ransomed; in other cases they were killed. [...]

Rebel forces in Darfur reportedly abducted persons, including government officials and humanitarian aid workers.

There also were reports of periodic intertribal abductions of women and children in eastern Upper Nile and Jonglei states.

The Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) kidnapped children in Uganda and brought them into Southern Sudan.

For example, on March 28, armed men alleged to belong to the LRA abducted six girls ranging in age from 12 to 17 years old. The girls remained missing at year's end."

Document(s): Open document

11.03.2008 - Source: US Department of State

Abduction and trafficking of children and women reported; victims used for labour or sexual exploitation ("Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2007") [ID 23262]

"Although the law prohibits slavery and forced labor, the law does not specifically address trafficking in persons, and there were reports that persons were trafficked from and within the country.

There were some reports that the abduction of women and children continued in the south due to tribal clashes.

There were no informed estimates on the extent of trafficking, including for camel jockeys, domestic servitude, sexual exploitation, or other types of forced labor.

There were credible reports that tribal leaders with government connections transported children to the Persian Gulf to be used as jockeys in camel races or as laborers.

In April the governments of Sudan and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) signed a bilateral agreement establishing claims facilities to compensate former Sudanese child camel jockeys for their injuries. UNICEF and the government's National Council for Child Welfare estimated that 219 children were repatriated from the UAE.

There were credible reports that intertribal abductions of women and children continued in the south.

Victims frequently became part of the new tribal family, with most women marrying into the new tribe; however, some victims were used for labor or sexual purposes.

The government acknowledged that abductions occurred and that abductees were sometimes forced into domestic servitude and sexual exploitation.

CEAWC and its 22 joint tribal committees investigated abduction cases, but have not engaged in any transport or retrieval missions since early 2006 due to lack of funding."

Document(s): Open document

06.03.2007 - Source: US Department of State

Slavery remains prevalent in 2006 ("Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2006") [ID 19861]

"The law prohibits forced or compulsory labor, including by children; however, there were reports that such practices continued (see sections 5 and 6.d.).

Although the government continued to deny that slavery and forced labor existed, CEAWC acknowledged that abductions had occurred (see sections 1.b. and 5). "

Document(s): Open document

20.04.2006 - Source: Austrian Centre for Country of Origin and Asylum Research and Documentation

Rates of slavery, especially of abductions of women and children, very high ("10th European Country of Origin Infomation Seminar Budapest, 1 - 2 December 2005: Final Report on Sudan") [#49770],  [ID 19044]

"The rates of slavery, especially of abductions of women and children, both in the North and the South of Sudan, are high – especially during war time. About 28 000 women have been abducted during the last 15 years in the North of the country. The question is how these women and children can return to their families. In one case, an abducted boy was so badly tortured that he could not walk anymore and was dependent on a wheel chair."

Document(s): Open document

22.05.2002 - Source: US Department of State

Abduction - slavery ("Report of the International Eminent Persons Group: Slavery, Abduction and Forced Servitude in Sudan") [#12973],  [ID 12713]

"In early 1999, as a result of publicity by international organizations and reports by the UN Special Rapporteurs on Human Rights to Sudan about slave-like practices, UNICEF also made a public statement against the practice. At the same time discussions between the Sudan government and the European Union resulted in a resolution on Sudan at the Human Rights Commission at which the term "slavery" was dropped and the term "abduction" adopted. While adamantly refuting allegations of slavery, by the government did acknowledge that civilian abduction had occurred during the course of the war.

The use of the term abduction instead of slavery is controversial. Southerners affected by the practice are insulted that slavery is referred to as anything less. 8 Child-focused international agencies in northern Sudan have adopted the term "abduction" as a pragmatic response to meet the best interests of the child. It has allowed international agencies to engage in discussions with the government about measures to address the problem, and it led to the creation of CEAWC. Since it was formed in May 1999, organized efforts in northern Sudan to identify, retrieve and return abducted persons have been undertaken under its auspices."

Document(s): Open document
Open document