Human Trafficking in Egypt: Assessment Study
Executive Summary
Trafficking in human beings is a grave crime. Many describe it as
modern-day slavery, where victims are coerced, deceived or forced into
the control of others who crudely seek to profit from their suffering. It is
a world problem which affects Egypt like all other Countries, though its
magnitude and manifestations vary from one country to another.
Combating Human Trafficking necessitates concerted efforts and
effective national plans of action based on the elements of protection,
prevention, prosecution and participation, where governmental and nongovernmental efforts meet and coordinated. Such a well tailored plan of
action should be based on scientific research and reliable data which
identify the extent, different aspects, geographical distribution and
prevailing forms of this crime, its root causes and possible strategies in
order to combat it. It is in this vein, this study was prepared by the
National Centre for Social and Criminological Studies.
Issue identified in this study were a result of field research conducted
during the period January-March 2010 featuring surveys, interviews and
case studies on potential victims and relevant stakeholders. Data on
relevant court cases and general and criminal statistics were also
collected.
Bearing in mind that the national legislation on combating human
trafficking was passed after launching this study, the analysis was framed
by the definition of human trafficking as set by the United Nations
Convention against Transnational Organized Crime Supplementary
Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons,
Especially Women and Children.
Key Findings

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Human trafficking exists in Egypt as well as in other countries and
is manifested in various forms. In the light of the fact that the
following forms are the most prevailing in the Egyptian society, the
current study focused on them:
a- Marriage of women and girls as a form of trafficking in human
beings.
b- Exploitation of children in labor.
c- Trafficking in street children.
d- Sexual exploitation and prostitution.
e- Trafficking in human organs.
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
Marriage of women and girls as a form of trafficking in human
beings:
a- The study which was conducted on 415 women and 155 parents
and featured interviews with brokers of such marriages in 12
villages, revealed the forced nature of such marriages.
b- Root causes are poverty, vulnerability and subordination of
women.
c- Most victims are in the age group 14-18. Age difference
between victims and husbands vary from 10-60 years and
duration of marriages varies from less than a year to five years.
d- The dowry varies from 3000-60000 Egyptian Pounds paid to the
parents, while the victim receives jewelry as an engagement
gift. Most victims are illiterate.
e- Brokers play a significant role, followed by relatives, friends,
match makers and parents. Prevailing cultural patterns and
patriarchal attitudes were used to justify these forced marriages.
f- Almost 30% of marriages were to Arab men.
g- More than 50% of the studied sample stated that they will marry
their other daughters in the same manner.

Exploitation of children in labour: Research was conducted on 489
Children and 352 Families in 5 Governorates, it revealed the
following:
a- Age of working children varies from 7-18 years, 44% of them
dropped out from schools. Root cause is poverty.
b- Most children work in the worst forms of child labour, such as
mining sector (42,3%), followed by foundries (17,2%).
c- The rest work is in areas of special risk for children such as in
smithery, metal casting, tannage, spinning and textile, transport
and loading.
d- Working hours vary from 11-13 hour daily. Working
environment is of a risky nature (pollution, injury..) 56,1% of
children in the sample were injured twice, 40,9% get only one
hour rest during the day.
e- 45.4% are paid more than 100 Egyptian pounds weekly, 16,8%
receive less than 50 Egyptian Pounds weekly. 50% of children
give their income to the family, 10,4% only keep their income
most probably to sustain their living.
f- Most mothers affirmed that the child's contribution is essential
to the household.


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g- 80,4% of children work with their consent, which contradicts
with the fact that 63,8 of them wish to change their work.
Trafficking in street children: The analysis featured a survey on
400 children and interviews with 33 children. The following results
were achieved:
a- One third of the victims is in one or more of the following
areas: begging, drug dealing, robbery, sexual exploitation in
prostitution, removal of human organs.
b- 60% of the sample studied practice begging, one fifth of these
children were trafficked for begging purposes for the benefit of
others. Traffickers vary from "Begging Master" to Pimps and
parents.
c- Less than 50% consume or deal with drugs. 6,3% are victims of
trafficking for the purpose of working in drug trafficking. Most
of them can not abandon this activity due to addiction or
coercion. Most of victims are males, in the age group 15-18,
followed by the age group 11-15.
d- One third of the sample had to steal, 5,5% were victims of
trafficking for the purpose of robbing. Most of them are in the
age group 15-18. Traffickers are in most cases family members.
e- Street children are sexually experienced, as they have physical
relations with each other. Many of them get raped. Only 5% of
children were trafficked for the purpose of prostitution, mostly
girls in the age group 15-18.
f- Some street children were offered to sell their organs; two of
them sold their Kidney for 15000-25000 Egyptian Pounds. Both
dropped out from school.
g- Some traffickers are children. Most victims reject subordination
and they escape to new places, which explains the fact that two
thirds of the sample studied is not a victim of trafficking.
Sexual Exploitation and Prostitution: The sample focused on
persons convicted of prostitution, as they might represent potential
victims of trafficking. Surveys, which were completed by 294
convicts, revealed the following results:
a- 40% were recruited through coercion or fraud or rape. Half of
the victims are under the age of 25, most of them are women.
b- Only 30% of the victims work for the benefit of others, two
thirds accept sharing half of their income with their Pimp.
c- 25% stated that they do not enjoy the freedom to reject a client
or certain practices. Female victims are more subject to
unprotected sex.
d- Half of the convicted were victims of trafficking for the purpose
of exploitation in prostitution.
e- Cases of international prostitution networks: most victims were
recruited through false promises of job opportunities. They are
in the age group 15-30, mostly divorced women.
f- Perpetrators were Arabs and Egyptians and victims were all
Egyptians. Most pimps are former trafficking victims. Most
victims are former victims of rape or sexual harassment.
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
Trafficking in human organs: The analysis of the study conducted
on 150 families showed the following:
a- Most victims are in the age group 19-45. They suffer from
financial problems, with different educational levels and they
come from urban popular or remote areas.
b- Some victims are from homeless young population in the age
group 19-25. Prices of human organs range from 5000-120000
Egyptian Pounds.
c- Practicing Doctor is usually very renowned. Doctors are usually
the main actor accused in organ transplantation cases.
Accusations vary from brokering to fraud and theft of human
organs.
d- Other actors -who might act as brokers- are well renowned
laboratories and large and small sized hospitals. Some identified
hospitals were very famous.
e- Potential victims are remote and poor areas.

Key Recommendations:
1- Eradication of poverty, unemployment and the lack of
opportunity as key factors in all forms of trafficking in
human beings.
2- Provision of assistance to poor and marginalized families,
as they produce the potential victims of trafficking in
human beings.
3- Elimination of cultural patterns which support
discrimination and violence against women through
media and education and gender and childhood
specialized institutions.
4- Revision of the labour code with view to abolishing the
exclusion of domestic servants from the protection of the
law. Enforcement of the law of labour syndicates
stipulating the establishment of syndicates for domestic
servants.
5- Considering the " Day-time care institutions" for
homeless children -administrated by NGOs- as a starting
point for care and rehabilitation of this group, bearing in
mind the need for cooperation between the government,
civil society and private sector in this regard.
6- Identification of children involved in high-risk jobs and
training them on alternative skills. Enhancing
surveillance on the implementation of legal provisions
relevant to protection of job related risks and work
environment.
7- Revision of the law on prostitution in order to
differentiate between perpetrators and victims.
8- Enhancing the role of criminal justice institutions in the
implementation of the law and protection of victims.
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