Online Reporter
THE Ministry of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage wishes to advise the public that:
Human trafficking and migrant smuggling have escalated into a serious national concern in Zimbabwe, with social media platforms becoming the primary hunting ground for traffickers and fraudulent recruiters.
Under the guise of legitimate overseas employment in sectors such as nursing, teaching, domestic work, and social care, traffickers continue to lure unsuspecting Zimbabweans — particularly women and girls — into exploitative situations abroad.
Numerous cases have been recorded involving Zimbabwean women trafficked to Middle Eastern countries including Oman, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Victims are often promised good salaries, legal work permits, and safe working environments. Instead, many are subjected to forced labour, domestic servitude, sexual exploitation, and sex trafficking.
Passports are frequently confiscated, movement restricted, and victims threatened with arrest, violence, or harm to their families if they attempt to escape.
Illustrative cases
Oman: Zimbabwean women recruited online for domestic work have reported being locked in homes, denied wages, forced to work long hours, and subjected to physical and emotional abuse after their documents were confiscated.
Saudi Arabia: Victims promised caregiving or teaching positions have been forced into domestic servitude, transferred between households without consent, and exposed to sexual abuse. Many were threatened with detention or deportation if they reported the abuse.
UAE: Fraudulent agents have lured victims with promises of hotel, salon, or childcare jobs. Some were later coerced into forced labour or sex work to repay inflated recruitment “debts,” leaving them trapped in cycles of exploitation.
Human trafficking is not only an international crime — it is also happening within our own borders.
While international trafficking moves victims across countries, domestic (intra-territorial) human trafficking exploits people without ever crossing a border. The methods are the same: force, fraud, and coercion. The harm is the same. The suffering is real.
Domestic trafficking is often overlooked because it looks familiar — homes, streets, schools, workplaces, and online platforms. This false sense of normalcy allows exploitation to thrive unseen.
Trafficking does not require movement. It requires control.
Impact Of Human Trafficking And Smuggling
The effects of human trafficking and smuggling extend far beyond individual victims and have devastating consequences for families, communities, and the nation:
Survivors often suffer severe physical injuries, sexual and gender-based violence, trauma, depression, anxiety, and long-term psychological harm. Many return home with health complications, stigma, and no financial gain.
Families endure emotional distress, financial loss, and uncertainty when loved ones go missing or are trapped abroad. In some cases, families incur debt to pay recruitment fees, worsening household poverty.
Human trafficking erodes community trust, increases vulnerability among unemployed youth, and normalises unsafe migration practices. It also exposes communities to criminal networks that thrive on deception.
These crimes damage Zimbabwe’s international reputation, undermine safe labour migration efforts, fuel organised crime, and contribute to brain drain, especially in critical sectors such as healthcare and education.
The public is urged to remain vigilant and to:
Verify overseas job offers through licenced recruitment agencies and Government channels
Avoid paying recruitment fees to individuals advertising on social media
Refuse to surrender passports or personal documents to agents or employers.
Report suspected cases of trafficking and smuggling to the Zimbabwe Republic Police, relevant ministries, or recognised civil society organisations on (0242-703 631) WhatsApp 0712 800 197
This statement was issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage
Peter Tanyanyiwa