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What happened
Ugandans recruited for jobs abroad, including domestic work in Saudi Arabia and elsewhere in the Middle East, are vulnerable to forced labor, and Uganda is a transit point for migrants seeking work in the Middle East whom traffickers exploit. Labor recruitment companies have been investigated for illegally holding migrant workers' passports, and observers alleged that some high-level officials were linked to recruitment companies suspected of trafficking.
Response and intervention
Response: Uganda Police closed 16 labor export companies during the reporting period, and the government reported convicting a labor recruitment company in connection with the death of a Ugandan domestic worker in Saudi Arabia. In November 2024 the labor ministry repatriated 146 Ugandan migrant workers from Saudi Arabia under a bilateral labor agreement.