admin
Fungai Lupande
Mashonaland Central Bureau
A 23-YEAR-OLD mother, who sold her two-day-old baby for trafficking to Australia, was recently caged for 10 years after a full trial in a case experts say reveals the evolving trends in human trafficking cases.
Even the gruesome ritual murder of Tapiwa Makore, for organ harvesting in the summer of 2020, is also another form of human trafficking, which has become one of the fastest-growing criminal industries with the modus operandi of traffickers ever-evolving.
Centre for Combating Human Trafficking (CCHT) director, Dr Chamunorwa Nyoni, said human trafficking is also rife locally, with people being lured on the pretext of getting better jobs in different parts of the country, only to end up enslaved.
Dr Nyoni, whose organisation operates under the Bindura University of Science Education (BUSE), said human trafficking was an emerging injustice and social challenge worldwide.
According to research by CCHT in 2019, Zimbabwe is a source, destination and transit point of human trafficking.
“Human trafficking is subtle and difficult to detect. It is the harbouring, transportation or obtaining a person for labour through force or cohesion,” he said.
“Victims are subjected to involuntary servitude, debt bondage, child soldiering, forced labour, sexual exploitation and organ harvesting.”
Dr Nyoni said of the 21 million people who are trafficked worldwide, 55 percent are women and 26 percent are children.
Although women and children are the majority in human trafficking, men are also victims.
To stop human trafficking, Dr Nyoni said the church has a role to play through partnership with other organisations.
Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Service (ZPCS) Officer Commanding Mashonaland Central, Commissioner Charity Gezi, said raising awareness was another way of combating human trafficking.
She urged people to scrutinise every job or scholarship opportunity amidst complex and ever-changing trends of human trafficking.
She said the protection of victims of human trafficking was key to addressing their trauma.
“Combating human trafficking requires a collective effort and comprehensive approach to raise awareness, prevent and protect,” he said.
“Access to technology, including the internet, has exposed people to evils including human trafficking. We have gathered to discuss the latest trends, challenges, and solutions, explore ways to support survivors and hold perpetrators accountable.”
She added that prosecution of perpetrators is vital in curbing human trafficking cases.
Pressure to fulfil financial obligations back home often led victims of human trafficking to persevere in bondage or slavery circumstances abroad.
Chief Chipadze urged families to stop weighing down relatives who are abroad with responsibilities and take a keen interest in their working conditions.
He urged people migrating to other countries to secure a job and scrutinise the opportunity first before moving.
Some Zimbabweans are lured out of the country by lucrative job opportunities only to find themselves in difficult circumstances.
Due to pressure to take care of families they left behind, human-trafficking victims continue to suffer in slavery situations.
“I urge parents to be content with what their children are earning. Do not corner your children into thinking that they owe you money rather it should be their will to take care of you,” he said.
“Older children are burdened with the responsibility of sending their young siblings to school. Parents, take care of your children, it is not the duty of their siblings.”
Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution Christopher Magomo said human trafficking knows no boundaries and is ruthless.
He said human trafficking is modern-day slavery where women, men and children are subjected to the horror of labour bondage, sexual exploitation and organ harvesting.
“Our fellow Zimbabweans are lured into a foreign land with prospects of better fortunes only to be trapped in a nightmarish experience,” he said.
“The Government has taken significant strides in strengthening The Trafficking in Person Act and enhancing law enforcement. The Government is developing and implementing a comprehensive national anti-trafficking action which outlines strategic interventions.”
He said a national task force against human trafficking has been established to serve as a central co-ordinating board.
The taskforce offers swift and appropriate support and assistance to victims of human trafficking.
Online Reporter