- Six in 10 Basotho (60%) say they are aware of the issue of human trafficking, while 39% say they have not heard about the problem (Figure 1).
- Awareness of the issue of human trafficking is far higher in urban than in rural areas (73% vs. 49%) (Figure 2). o Awareness increases dramatically as education levels rise, ranging from 23% among citizens with no formal schooling to 89% among those with postsecondary qualifications.
- Citizens who obtain news “every day” or “a few times a week” from newspapers, the Internet, television, social media, or the radio are more likely – by 10 to 22 percentage points – to be aware of the issue of human trafficking than infrequent news consumers (Figure 3).
- Among Basotho who are aware of the issue, about two-thirds (65%) say that security forces are primarily responsible for fighting human trafficking, while nearly three in 10 (28%) say ordinary citizens should take the lead (Figure 4).
A majority of Basotho are aware of the issue of human trafficking, a new Afrobarometer analysis indicates.
Released ahead of World Day Against Trafficking in Persons (30 July), the analysis shows that awareness of the issue is particularly high among frequent news consumers, urban residents, and the most educated citizens, while rural residents and less educated respondents are less likely to know about human trafficking.
Among Basotho who are aware of the issue, most say the fight against human trafficking falls on the shoulders of the security agencies and – to a lesser extent – of ordinary citizens.
According to the U.S. State Department’s Lesotho Report 2023 on Trafficking in Persons, the Lesotho government has significantly increased its efforts against traffickers who exploit Basotho, including many women and children, after luring them to urban areas or abroad with false promises of jobs and educational opportunities.