In 2008, Sierra Leone was a source, transit, and destination country for children and women trafficked for the purposes of forced labor and commercial sexual exploitation.
Transnationally, Sierra Leonean women and children were trafficked to other West African countries, notably Guinea, Côte d'Ivoire, Liberia, Nigeria, Guinea-Bissau, and The Gambia for the same purposes listed above and to North Africa, the Middle East, and Western Europe for domestic servitude and sexual exploitation.
In 2008 the Government of Sierra Leone did not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it made significant efforts to do so, despite limited resources.
Legislatively, Sierra Leone prohibits all forms of trafficking through its 2005 Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act, which prescribes a maximum penalty of 10 years imprisonment.
Some victims outside Freetown were not referred for care, however, due to lack of transport to the capital or the difficulty of travel during the rainy season.
Sierra Leone does not provide legal alternatives to the removal of foreign victims to countries where they face hardship or retribution.
Also, NGOs report that police raid brothels and arrest females engaged in prostitution without following procedures to identify trafficking victims among them.
The government took some measures to reduce demand for commercial sex acts by raiding brothels, but did not follow procedures to identify trafficking victims among females in prostitution.