THE KINGDOM OF LESOTHO COMBINED SECOND TO EIGHTH PERIODIC REPORT UNDER THE AFRICAN
CHARTER ON HUMAN AND PEOPLES’ RIGHTS AND INITIAL REPORT UNDER THE PROTOCOL TO THE
AFRICAN CHARTER ON THE RIGHTS OF WOMEN IN AFRICA
GBV, the challenge is that there is only one care centre within the whole country whereas
there are several cases of GBV.
ARTICLE 5: ELIMINATION OF HARMFUL PRACTICES
Legislative measures
Trafficking in women and girls
345. The Anti- Trafficking in Persons Act 2011 is aimed at preventing trafficking of persons,
in particular women and children, as well as prosecution and punishment of those who
commit the offence of trafficking as well as those who participate in trafficking by other
means such as incitement to commit the offence. Since its enactment, there have been
some convictions and a number of victims who have been rescued.
Female Genital Mutilation (FGM)
346. There is no particular law which criminalises FGM in Lesotho. There are also no statistics
which reflect its prevalence. Lack of statistical data is attributed to several factors including
that firstly, female initiation schools are very scarce in Lesotho; secondly, there is no proof
that rituals performed in female initiation schools involve any of the acts which have been
categorised by World Health Organisation (WHO) as FGM. However, the government has
embarked on public awareness campaigns on the dangers of FGM and that it constitutes
human rights violation.
347. Common practices related to interference with the female genitalia include virginity testing
and labia elongation. Although these practices may not have harmful physical effects as
FGM does, the circumstances under which they are performed deny girls the right to bodily
integrity because they are mostly done to girls who have no full understanding of the
rationale behind the practice except that the elongation is for sexual gratification of their
husbands and failure to do it undermines one’s chances of getting married. This is
regardless of whether the girls aspire to get married or not. As a result, girls are often
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