Human Trafficking in [Lesotho] [other countries]
Street Children in [Lesotho] [other countries]
Child Prostitution in [Lesotho] [other countries]
 

Child Prostitution

The Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children

Kingdom of Lesotho [ Country-by-Country Reports ]

Basutoland was renamed the Kingdom of Lesotho [map] upon independence from the UK in 1966. Lesotho, located in S Africa, is an enclave within the Republic of South Africa. Maseru is its capital and largest city. Lesotho’s economy is primarily based on subsistence agriculture, especially livestock, although drought has decreased agricultural activity. The extreme inequality in the distribution of income remains a major drawback.

CAUTION:  The following links and accompanying text have been culled from the web to illuminate the situation in Lesotho. Some of these links may lead to websites that present allegations that are unsubstantiated, misleading or even false. No attempt has been made to validate their authenticity or to verify their content.

National Plan of Action

U.S. Dept of Labor Bureau of International Labor Affairs

INCIDENCE AND NATURE OF CHILD LABOR - Commercial sexual exploitation of children is reportedly a growing problem in Lesotho.

Bur of Democracy, Human Rights & Labor - Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2005

CHILDREN - Child prostitution was a problem. According to media reports, young girls and boys, many of whom were orphans, moved to urban areas to work as prostitutes. A 2001 UNICEF assessment concluded that child prostitution in the country was a poverty‑driven phenomenon rather than a commercial enterprise and that the financial arrangements were casual and not the product of organized criminal syndicates. However, UNICEF and the government agreed that while the numbers remained small, the trend toward commercial prostitution by children under age 18 was a growing problem in the country. It was believed that the incidence of prostitution was growing, and the average age of commercial sex workers was dropping; however, there was no evidence of third party participation. Child sex workers (including child prostitutes) worked by themselves for economic reasons. There is little capability within either the police force or the Department of Social Welfare to address the needs of children likely to engage in prostitution.

Concluding Observations of the Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) - 2001

[57] The absence of adequate information, including disaggregated statistical data, on the situation of sexual exploitation of children, is a matter of concern for the Committee. The Committee is concerned, further, that young girls in particular are vulnerable to sexual exploitation in Lesotho and that the number of incidents of such exploitation is increasing.

The Protection Project - Lesotho [DOC]

FORMS OF TRAFFICKING – A high percentage of persons in prostitution in Lesotho are reported to be children, some as young as 13 years of age. Children are lured by traffickers or kidnapped and taken to hotels and brothels in Maseru and its outskirts. Prostituted children in the capital can earn US$7 to US$53 a night, compared with US$13 to US$26 a month for domestic servants; prostituted boys reportedly earn more than girls.

ECPAT: Fifth Report on implementation of the Agenda for Action [DOC]

[B] COUNTRY UPDATES – LESOTHO – No information was received from Lesotho this year. However, the Committee on the Rights of the Child has expressed concern both at the increasing number of young girls vulnerable to CSEC and at the increasing number of street and working children. The Committee recommended that Lesotho undertake studies on CSEC and reinforce its laws to adequately protect children.

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Human Trafficking in [Lesotho] [other countries]
Street Children in [Lesotho] [other countries]
Child Prostitution in [Lesotho] [other countries]