Key points
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Zimbabwe stays on US human trafficking watch list.
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Report cites child exploitation and weak anti-trafficking efforts.
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US urges reforms, stronger protections, and prosecutions.
The United States has kept Zimbabwe on its human trafficking watch list for the second year in a row, warning that the country has not met minimum standards to combat the crime.
According to the 2025 Trafficking in Persons Report, Zimbabwe remains on the Tier 2 Watch List. The US cited persistent cases of child exploitation, forced labor, and sex trafficking, especially involving women and children.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio described human trafficking as a “horrific and devastating crime” that fuels transnational criminal networks. He said the report pushes countries like Zimbabwe to take stronger action.
Signs of weak enforcement in Zimbabwe
The report praised some progress, such as identifying more victims and offering training through a new partnership with a non-governmental organization.
But it criticized Zimbabwe for cutting anti-trafficking funding, closing a victim shelter, and shutting down six provincial task forces.
Officials also failed to amend the law to cover all forms of trafficking, while reports of official complicity persisted.
Observers noted that traffickers continue to exploit vulnerable people in mining, agriculture, domestic service, and sex work, with many cases underreported.
Internal trafficking remains prevalent. Women and girls from rural areas are often forced into domestic servitude in cities, while children are pushed into begging, artisanal mining, or street vending.
Cross-border trafficking is also a growing problem, with victims recruited under false promises of jobs or scholarships in South Africa, China, and the Middle East.
Calls for stronger protections and accountability
The US recommended Zimbabwe amend its anti-trafficking law, dedicate more resources to victim protection, and prosecute traffickers, including complicit officials.
It also called for better regulation of recruitment companies, more shelters, and specialized training for law enforcement and judges.
Trafficking victims include children as young as 11, exploited around mining sites and border towns. Economic hardship has worsened child labor, sex trafficking, and forced labor in farms and informal markets.
The report warned that without urgent reforms, Zimbabwe risks becoming a hub for trafficking and exploitation in southern Africa.
