In Kenya, stories of house helps dying in Saudi Arabia at the hands of their brutal employers is as common as rain. So when the story of the death of Magdaline Wamuyu was published in our local dailies, there is usually a wave of mixed reactions. Many would frown at how young girls are still duped into finding greener pastures in the Middle East knowing too well most of the stories never have a happy ending. But for many others they can’t help but feel sad for we have lost another young soul in a senseless act of violence. None the less, these horror stories do not deter our young women from believing that there is a better life abroad, so many are trafficked annually and their fate unknown.
Globally, human trafficking is recognized as one the most organized and lucrative criminal activity racking millions of dollars for the criminal parties involved. Because of its illegal operation and nature of the crime, where perpetuators go through high lengths to hide their activities, it is difficult to obtain the exact numbers of people trafficked across the globe. Despite of this challenge governments and non-governmental institutions working around this field estimate that there are about 12.3million people trafficked annually. (TIP Report, 2010).
Some of the factors that drive human trafficking include poverty, conflict and wars, weak legal framework to address the vice, lack of education amongst others. Regardless of the reason behind the trafficking, most victims find themselves involved in forced labor sometimes without pay, sex trade, or organ harvesting. Women and children are particularly vulnerable to human trafficking, making up half of the numbers of people trafficked majorly because of poverty and gender inequality. According (ILO, 2012) International Labour Organization estimates that human trafficking generates $150 billion annually and two thirds of this comes from sexual exploitation.
Kenya has got its fair share of human trafficking problem. Currently the country is ranked as a second tier country meaning that we have not yet met the minimum standards of the U.S. Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) of 2000 but we are making significant efforts to do so. Poverty remains as the main driver for human trafficking both locally and internationally. Domestically, victims especially women are either trafficked to the coastal region for sex trade, or to urban areas to work as house helps while children are forced to labor in farms or mines or beg on the streets. Men too are victims to domestic trafficking mostly forced to provide high intensive labor.
Internationally, victims like Magdaline are trafficked willingly or unwillingly to other countries in search a better life. Most people like in the case of Grace, are usually promised better paying jobs only to find themselves engaging in demeaning jobs or sex trade. In her story first reported by BBC African Eye: Imported for my Body, Grace shares how through as WhatsApp group she was deceived into travelling to India for work only to be forced into a sex trade. She said on a bad day, she had to sleep with at least nine men to pay her ‘masters’ back for the costs of bringing her to India.
The reasons as to why human trafficking persists is because victims are intimidated into silence or in the case of children who cannot bravely speak for themselves on their circumstances. In other cases, the victims engage in illegal activities like prostitution, so are afraid to speak out because they will be considered criminals.
The perpetrators of these crimes as stated earlier are usually well organized, connected and with enough resources to bribe their way out, intimidate and murder witnesses or manipulate the system hence they are never fully prosecuted for their actions.
As a result, human trafficking remains a complex issue that requires consolidated efforts to reach out to potential victims even before it happens. As such when you receive lucrative opportunities abroad take a step back and think for a second. Remember when the deal is too good think twice before rushing to take it up. Verify this information with family, friends and relevant government bodies before hurriedly taking it up. Take any opportunity to create awareness for human trafficking in your communities, because anyone can be a victim.
Governments and civil organizations need to take a strong commitment in protecting victims of human trafficking because they are very instrumental in providing important information in prosecuting criminals involved in human trafficking. These also requires laws and enforcement of laws to prosecute those involved in the vice and bring human trafficking to an end! We also call upon service providers like advocates/lawyer to marry their efforts by providing pro bono services to victims as well as health workers to provide best care for the same people and have well documented evidence for the case.
Anyone can become a victim of human trafficking, and this is why we need to take a frontline to protect ourselves and loved ones from human trafficking.
References:
6. https://www.ilo.org/global/about-the-ilo/newsroom/news/WCMS_243201/lang--en/index.htm