Kenya,
Tanzania, Burundi and Rwanda face sanctions from the United States for their
laxity in dealing with human trafficking in the region. This comes after the
countries were grouped among the ‘watch-list states’ in a report released by
the U.S State Department last
week.
The
report reveals that these countries have become notorious sources and
destinations for widespread trafficking. It also notes the increasing role of
the family members of trafficking victims in facilitating this illicit trade.
In
Burundi, friends, family members and neighbours of the victims lure them with
promises of employment or education only to recruit them into forced labour.
“Sometimes, these people collude with traffickers who force victims with
disabilities into street begging activities,” the report states.
EAC states are not doing enough to stop human trafficking (Photo courtesy of www.sanantonio.gov)
The same
scenario plays out in Tanzania where young girls are forced into domestic
servitude. Boys have also not been spared as some are forced into sex trade or
forced labour at farms, fishing boats or mines.
The State
Department Report also notes that sexual exploitation of children is increasing
along the Kenya-Tanzania border. “Sex trafficking of girls is also prevalent in
tourist areas within the country,” the report reads in part.
In
Rwanda, older females entice young girls seeking to better their lives with
room and boarding facilities before forcing them into prostitution as payment
for their expenses. In some instances, there are loose prostitution networks,
which supply other women or clients with young girls. These networks even
operate in secondary schools and universities.
“The sex
tourism industry at the Kenyan coast has benefited immensely from human
trafficking within the country,” the report further reveals. Victims are forced
into this trade by beach boys and even their own parents to gain money from
tourists frequenting the coastal areas. Other areas that are notorious
destinations for human trafficking include miraa cultivation areas in eastern
Kenya as well as gold mines in Nyanza.
Sofia Rajab, the project manager-Counter Trafficking in Persons at the CRADLE-Children’s Foundation agrees that the Kenyan government’s efforts to curb trafficking in persons are not enough. “Sometimes the government is lax in protecting victims of human trafficking. For example, it took long to put measures in place for the operation of the Counter Trafficking in Persons Act,” she explains. Ms. Rajab states that it took a lawsuit from CRADLE against the government before the act could be gazetted in October 2012—two years after it had been passed in parliament.
According
to U.S. State Department’s report, Middle East countries are common
destinations for human trafficking in East Africa. Victims are often subjected
to sex slavery and domestic labour exploitation.
Uganda was the only East African country missing from the ‘watch-list countries’ because of the government’s efforts to curtail the illicit trade. Nonetheless, human trafficking is still a major thorn in the flesh for the country.
Licensed
employment agencies and security firms in Kampala recruit Ugandans to work as
security guards and drivers in the Middle East. Later, these people complain of
working under exploitative conditions that are similar to forced labour, such
as, withholding of their passports, non-payment of dues and lack of food. Women
are forced into prostitution in Malaysia after gaining recruitment as nannies,
hotel staff or hair dressers.
What are
your thoughts? Should combating human trafficking be a top priority for East
Africa?
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