AFRICA - House Foreign Affairs Committee Democrats

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ployee who asserts a right granted by the act (for example, to leave a hazardous
work site) and requires mine owners to file annual reports that provide statistics
on health and safety incidents for each mine being worked.
There are no laws or regulations in other industries that permit workers to remove
themselves from work situations deemed dangerous to their health or safety
without risking loss of employment; however, the Protected Disclosures Act protects
employees from retaliation who, with ‘‘reasonable belief that the health or safety of
an individual has been, is being, or is likely to be endangered,’’ disclose dangerous
workplace conditions to the appropriate authorities.
f. Trafficking in Persons.—The Alien Control Act prohibits trafficking in persons;
however, the country is a transit and destination point for the trafficking of persons
from Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Thailand, and other countries for forced prostitution
and forced labor. Women and children reportedly are lured into the country by
international organized crime syndicates with the promise of jobs and decent wages,
and then forced to work as prostitutes, in some cases to pay off debts to those who
smuggled them into the country. Women from Thailand, China, and Russia were
trafficked into the country for prostitution by Chinese and South African organized
crime syndicates. While many of these women come willingly, some claim that they
were tricked into coming, or that they were forced to continue working as prostitutes
until they had paid off the cost of their transport.
The country is also a transit point for trafficking operations between developing
countries and Europe, the United States, and Canada. Migrants from foreign countries,
particularly China, India, the Middle East, Eastern European countries, and
other African countries, are lured to the country with accounts of money and jobs
in the West. Once in the country they are provided with documentation and accommodation
before being moved on to final destinations, where they are forced into
prostitution, drug dealing, or other criminal activity, or forced to work in factories
as virtual slaves until they pay off the debt of their travel expenses. Traffickers apparently
have identified the country as one in which temporary entry permission
often is granted, fraudulent documents are easy to obtain, and direct flight and
shipping routes are available to most countries in the developed world.
The Government made efforts to address the trafficking problem with investigations
and arrests by the police. These efforts are hampered by police corruption, lack
of training, and understaffing. In February police discovered prostitutes from Thailand,
Bulgaria, Russia, the Czech Republic, Romania, and Zambia at a brothel near
Johannesburg, and arrested the owner. Some of the women were returned to their
home countries, and the case against the owner was ongoing at year’s end. The
courts generally deal with trafficking through deportations and fines, rather than
exacting criminal penalties.
SUDAN
The 1989 military coup that overthrew Sudan’s democratically elected government
brought to power Lieutenant General Omar Hassan Al-Bashir and his National Salvation
Revolution Command Council (RCC). Bashir and the RCC suspended the
1985 Constitution, abrogated press freedom, and disbanded all political parties and
trade unions. In 1993 the RCC dissolved itself and appointed Bashir President.
Presidential and parliamentary elections were held in December. All major opposition
parties boycotted the elections, and there were allegations of official interference
and electoral fraud. Bashir was elected to another 5-year term, and the National
Congress/National Islamic Front (NC/NIF) won 340 out of 360 seats in Parliament
in the deeply flawed process. Despite the adoption of a new Constitution
through a referendum in June 1998, the Government continued to restrict most civil
liberties. Since 1989 real power has rested with the NIF, founded by Dr. Hassan
al-Turabi, who became Speaker of the National Assembly in 1996. In November
1998, the NIF renamed itself the National Congress (NC); NIF/NC members and
supporters continue to hold key positions in the Government, security forces, judiciary,
academic institutions, and the media. In December 1999, Bashir declared a 3month
state of emergency, dismissed Turabi, and disbanded Parliament 2 days before
it was to vote on a bill introduced by pro-Turabi legislators to reduce Bashir’s
presidential powers. On March 12, the state of emergency, which suspends basic
civil liberties including freedom of expression and association, was extended until
the end of the year, and in late December it was extended for another year. In May
Bashir expelled Turabi from the NC, which prompted Turabi to create a new political
party, the Popular National Congress Party (PNCP). The judiciary is subject to
government influence.
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