The cases of child trafficking are increasing day by day in Africa, and agencies took charge in order to fight for human trafficking and expressed their concern over the increase of vice in the country, saying that children are affected most.
As per the reports to ‘Agnes Igoye’ the Deputy National Coordinator Prevention of Trafficking in Persons at the Directorate of Citizenship and Immigration Control, in 2021, they counted nearly 421 incidents with 1000 victims involved.
Many cases were reported in which 30 were successfully investigated, and offenders were charged and convicted under the Prevention of Trafficking Act.
According to the Igoye, it is difficult to hear that many parents are involved in the acts of trafficking because they gave their children willingly that their children can go to work and look after them.
Igoye further stated that We’re jointly training our officers with our Kenyan counterparts because this is a cross border challenge. Children are moving across borders. This is high time that we need to come together and fight this vice.
Charles Twine, the Criminal Investigations Directorate, stated that many cases of trafficking go unreported since some parents are also accomplices in the crime.
Furthermore, Twine stated that many children are those who are not even 10anf they are part of trafficking for ritual purposes and labor exploitation.
Twine said it is very difficult to fight the human trafficking racket because that is not a small racket. It is a big racket with good funding.
He said the vice is very common in Karamoja, Busoga, and the central region districts of Kalungu, Masaka, Rakai and Luweero. In South Western Uganda, Rubirizi, Isingiro and Bushenyi are the most affected.
“We are talking of matters which have been reported, and we believe what is reported and investigated is actually not half of what is taking place. Trafficking is real either through deception or through kidnap,” Twine said.
