OPINION: It will take more than hope to end human trafficking in Kenya

Each year across the East and Horn of Africa, thousands of people seek greener pastures abroad. Many of them, men and women of all ages, end up as victims of human trafficking suffering physical and emotional abuse at the hands of both local and foreign employers abroad.

They only learn too late that some of the agencies involved in facilitating their travel are dubious. Without proper documentation and binding contracts, many of the victims have no one to turn to when they fall prey to human traffickers who expose them to untold violence and exploitation.

Lack of health care, long working hours without rest and overcrowded living conditions are some issues immigrant workers face. Their cry for help often goes unanswered, with phone calls to the agencies going unanswered. By the time they return home, often as deportees, they are broke, sick, bruised or even worse in coffins, to the much agony of their loved ones. 

The International Labour Organization (ILO) study Global Estimates on Modern Slavery of 2016 shows that despite being in the 21st century, at least 40 Million people are trapped in modern slavery worldwide! These sobering numbers portray human suffering.

Children have not been spared as 25% of the 40 Million victims are children. In addition, statistics released by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) 2020 Global Report on Trafficking in Persons indicate that one-third of all the detected human trafficking victims are children, and this figure has tripled over the past 15 years. 

As the world commemorated the Day Against Trafficking in Persons on July 30th, there was a call to pay attention to the use and abuse of Technology as this has become a double-edged sword that can both enable and frustrate efforts to end human trafficking.

The world has now become a global village, making digital media a key tool that many human traffickers are now using to recruit more and more children, even as the demand for child sexual exploitation materials increases. Predators have infiltrated the internet and popular social sites such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok and WhatsApp are access points for recruitment by human traffickers.

Labour exploitation and abuse is one of the modern forms of human trafficking, often taking place in construction sites, restaurants, and factories, but also in private residences where victims work and live as domestic workers. Poverty and unemployment remain the two key drivers that precipitate the vulnerability of victims.

With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the situation has become worse as the lockdown measures and limited economic activities drove many people to desperate times. Although the world has now slowly re-opened, the increased price of commodities and cost of living hasn’t made things any better. If anything, the pandemic has brought to the forefront the systemic and deeply entrenched economic and societal inequalities that are among the root causes of human trafficking.

It will take the collaborative efforts of everyone; media, families, governments and even individuals, to end Human Trafficking. The first step to taking action against the crime of human trafficking is to inform ourselves, then raise awareness and speak out. There are many things you can do.

As an employer, journalist, family member, colleague or neighbour, you have the power to act against human trafficking. Employers have given job opportunities to vulnerable youth or employed survivors of trafficking after their TVET graduation. Those decisions can be life-changing. For journalists, uncovering and exposing this crime and giving voice to survivors is a highly meaningful contribution.

The public too has a role to play by keeping governments accountable for upholding human rights, especially during an election period such as this. According to the 2021 Trafficking in Persons Report on Kenya, the government often tried trafficking cases as immigration or labour law violations rather than crimes under the anti-trafficking laws.

As a result, suspected traffickers received less stringent sentences. Governments out to make deliberate efforts by making long-term plans that address underlying issues which give rise to human trafficking such as poverty, creation of job opportunities and even gender inequality.

 HAART Kenya provides protection services for victims of Human Trafficking. Anyone who is undergoing or witnessing human trafficking can reach out to HAART Kenya’s helpline on +254 780 211 113.