HAART Rallies Stakeholders to Match Against Human Trafficking

Nairobi,

Wednesday, October 11, 2023

KNA by Kamau Maina/ Carol Mawia

Awareness Against Human Trafficking (HAART) together with different stakeholders on Wednesday marched across the city centre to create awareness against human trafficking.

Human trafficking is rampant and an ever-growing problem across the globe with Kenya considered a transit route, destination and source of humans for trafficking, and criminals using innocent humans for profits.

From testimonies, many people are victims of enslavement where they are promised jobs abroad for example, only to arrive at the destination and find they are required to do work they did not sign for.

Consequently, HAART has called on the government to intervene in verifying travel agencies so as to minimize cases of scamming when people sell their land and valuable property to pay the requisite fees to get a job abroad only for them to be scammed by agents.

Children are also largely trafficked hence the need to create awareness in schools and formation of human rights clubs so that students can learn their rights.

Though there are varying figures from different groups on the numbers of human trafficking, they all are high and ever rising with children widely affected by this hence the need for awareness creation.

HAART's mission is not only to create awareness, assist victims, and advocate but also to prosecute offenders of Human Trafficking which is a crime in Kenya and can attract a sentence of 20 years in prison for offenders.

There is a difference, however, between trafficking and smuggling as some people are in transit to move to better countries in search of greener pastures.

The government together with other stakeholders has shown its commitment to making sure this menace comes to a stop by supporting non–profit organizations like HAART in the fight against slavery.

Vinnie Akinyi of HAART while speaking during the event noted that in creating awareness, people are taught how to identify a case of trafficking and what to do once confirmed.

 “We need people to know how to identify a case of trafficking and beware of the necessary steps to follow after this,” noted Akinyi.

Also, there have been many cases of abuse reported by migrants from Kenya to other countries hence HAART has partnered with the Department of Migration to combat this.

HAART is a Kenyan non-profit organization funded through donations, and committed to fighting human trafficking in East Africa.

Courtesy; KNA