Human trafficking: a modern day evil
Lazarus Sauti
Human
trafficking – the recruitment,
transport, transfer, harbouring or receipt of a person by such means as threat
or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud or deception
for the purpose of exploitation – is a ruthless crime which mercilessly exploits millions of
vulnerable women, children and men worldwide.
This modern day evil, which is on the rise in Africa, is
stalling social and economic development as vulnerable citizens are taken away
from their homes and families to work under brutal conditions far away from
their loved ones.
Tseliso
Thipanyane of the Columbia University Law School and the Safer Africa
Foundation, agrees:
“Human
trafficking is on the rise in Africa. Millions of people continue to be trafficked
in their own countries, in the African continent and in many parts of the world,
and the majority of sufferers are women and children.
“Victims
are trafficked to be exploited in
a range of different sectors: sexual exploitation and forced labour which
includes exploitation in agriculture, construction, catering and restaurants,
entertainment services as well as domestic servitude.”
He added that other forms of exploitation are forced
marriage, organ removal, illegal adoption along with the exploitation of
children for begging as well as child soldiers.
A researcher in the field of peace and conflict
resolution, who requested anonymity, said poverty and inequality are fueling human
trafficking.
“Poverty and inequality in most African societies are
fueling organised crimes such as human trafficking. In an effort to escape
these ‘evil twins’, people unwittingly end up in the cycle of human trafficking,
either as perpetrators or as victims,” he said.
The researcher added that sustainable development is
heavily affected by human trafficking.
“Human trafficking comes at a high cost for the economy.
It reduces tax revenues over and above migrant remittances.
It also destroys the social fabric as family ties and
communities are ruined,” he said.
Besides stalling social and economic growth in most
countries, Sethulo Ncube, a Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission (ZHRC)
commissioner, says human trafficking is a security threat.
As a result, she urges Africa to constantly deal with
this palpable contravention of human rights.
“Human trafficking is a present violation of the rights
of young women and girls and in some cases boys who are subjected to sexual and
physical abuse. African countries, therefore, must continuously deal with this
blatant violation of human rights,” said Ncube.
Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, Chair of the African Union (AU), also
explains that this modern day evil is a grave security threat on the continent,
noting that, “issues that are threats to security on the continent should be
seen as global threats.”
Armed with the idea that human trafficking is one of the
world’s most shameful ills – a heartless violation of human rights in which
lives are traded, sold, exploited, abused and ruined, United Nations Secretary
General Ban Ki-moon urged all concerned parties to take a united stand, shine a
spotlight on the issue, put traffickers behind bars and give protection and
support to victims and vulnerable people.
For this to be effective, there should be a comprehensive
approach involving government institutions, civil society organisations,
churches, security ministries, border control and other actors such as the
International Organisation on Immigration to deal comprehensively with the
issue.
To address human trafficking and other issues, Dr Dlamini
Zuma urges African countries to pay more attention to development and ‘invest
in holistic development.’
“African countries must pay more attention to holistic
development. They must trade amongst ourselves as well as industrialise so as
to create jobs for our people,” she said.
Samukele Hadebe, director of the Public Policy Research
Institute of Zimbabwe - an Independent Trust
that deals with issues of public policy in social, economic and political
clusters – concurs:
“The onus is on governments to advance the well being of
their citizens. Citizens’ welfare can simply be improved by fostering
socio-economic development in societies by creating employment and providing
other economic opportunities such as income generating projects,” he said.
Hadebe also encouraged government sectors to train policy
and immigration officers on new information technologies so that they could
understand crimes such as human trafficking.
“African countries must raise
awareness of the complexities of the problem, provide training for law
enforcement officers if we are to stop human trafficking,” he noted.
Plan
International, a development organisation
operating in 51 countries across Africa, the Americas, and Asia to promote and
protect children’s rights, believes strengthening family bonds is also an
important avenue towards ending human trafficking.
The
international organisation urges African countries and all concerned stakeholders
to promote tradition, family, culture and education in order to reinforce the
concept of family unity.
Further,
the African Centre for Migration and Society, the Institute for Security
Studies and the Centre for Applied Legal Studies believe policing is an
important ingredient if African countries are to curb human trafficking.
These
organisations, therefore, warn African countries to facilitate legal
immigration.
“Migrants
clandestinely entering African countries are at risk of rape or sexual assault
by criminal gangs and smugglers operating in border areas.
“Because
illegal immigration is an offence, clandestine border crossers are less likely
to report the crimes against them or seek appropriate assistance,” they said.
Furthermore,
lack of documentation exposes migrants to a greater risk of labour exploitation
in many countries, because employers know that undocumented employees are
unlikely to report abuses.
Establishing
a broad range of simple, inexpensive and well-publicised legal channels for
immigration into African countries, they argue, would narrow the opportunities
for traffickers to mislead potential migrants and profit from exploitation, and
would encourage migrants to use formal immigration channels where their rights
and safety would be better protected.
Human
trafficking is a crime against humanity.
Countless
numbers of African women and children lose their lives, their rights to
education and freedom, as well as their innocence, through this practice.
Although
most African countries are taking necessary steps to improve their legislation
on how to stop human trafficking, more concerted efforts are needed to address
this modern day evil, and the time to act is now.
John
F. Kerry, United States Secretary for State, puts it clearly: “The bottom line
is that this is no time for complacency.
“Right
now, across the globe, victims of human trafficking are daring to imagine the
possibility of escape, the chance for a life without fear, and the opportunity
to earn a living wage.”
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