World Day against Trafficking in Persons |30 July 2020
Arid calls for greater effort in prosecuting human trafficking cases
“World Day against Trafficking in Persons (TIP) is an annual commemoration held on July 30. People trafficking and modern-day slavery is a great concern worldwide.
“On the occasion of the World Day against Trafficking in Persons the Association for Rights Information and Democracy (Arid) is calling on the government to intensify its effort especially in detecting and prosecuting cases of human trafficking and other gross human rights violation.
“Arid has over the past two years recorded a number of violation and abuse of expatriate workers, foreign workers being ill-treated, physically and emotionally abused and even deprived of their basic human rights. Only last month the association issued a press release concerning alleged human rights violation by a prominent political figure. Arid is particularly concerned with the lack of robust mechanisms from some government agencies notably the Ministry of Employment, Immigration and Civil Status, in dealing with this issue. We have received concerns from various sources of alleged cases of trafficking in persons happening both on land and in our territorial waters. We know that there are significant challenges for law enforcement authorities to detect or intervene because in most of these cases the cover-up plans are very good and the victims are scared to talk. Albeit the challenges, Arid commends the efforts of the police in collaborating with the association in dealing with this issue.
“The 2020 theme for the World Day Against Trafficking in Persons focuses on the first responders to human trafficking. These are the people who work in diverse areas such as law enforcement, areas of intervention namely supporting, counselling and seeking justice for victims of trafficking and taking to tasks those involved in such inhumane act.
“As we commemorate the day against trafficking in persons, Arid is calling on the committee for trafficking in persons to strengthen collaboration with stakeholders, develop more comprehensive sensitisation programmes on this scourge affecting our country. Arid calls on the government to review the existing laws in order to address the gaps and grey areas in our laws to make it robust to deal with the current threats of trafficking in persons. There is also need for appropriate services and facilities for victims of human trafficking. We can achieve more if we work together in combatting human trafficking.”