United States Department of State

19 June 2013

Algeria is a transit and, to a lesser extent, a destination and source country for women and, to a lesser extent, men, subjected to forced labor and sex trafficking. Most commonly, sub-Saharan African men and women enter Algeria voluntarily but illegally, often with the assistance of smugglers, for the purpose of traveling to Europe. Some of these women may be forced into prostitution. Criminal networks, which sometimes extend to sub-Saharan Africa and to Europe, are involved in smuggling and human trafficking. The “chairmen,” or leaders, of the “African villages” – small non-Algerian ethnic enclaves located in and around the southern city of Tamanrasset – may be among those responsible for forcing some women into prostitution. Some sub-Saharan African men, mostly from Mali, are forced domestic workers. Homeowners sometimes confiscate their identification documents, which is indicative of forced labor. Some Algerian women are also forced into prostitution. Civil society groups believe that Algeria is increasingly becoming a destination for both undocumented migration and trafficking.

The Government of Algeria does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so. For another year the government did not hold any perpetrators of sex trafficking or forced labor accountable with jail time. The government continued to conflate human trafficking and smuggling, and trafficking victims were therefore commonly treated as illegal immigrants and subject to arrest, detention, and deportation. The government lacked adequate measures to protect victims. The government’s anti-trafficking committee met monthly since June 2012, but it did not publicly report its activities or accomplishments.

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