Many Kenyans have fallen victim to human traffickers, especially in the Middle East where many are lured by the promise of jobs only to find themselves working in deplorable, slave-like conditions.
Others, especially children, are trafficked to foreign lands, where they are physically abused.
Kenya’s youth unemployment and tough economic conditions mean that there will always be takers for these dubious opportunities.
The creation of a fund to assist victims of human trafficking will go a long way in supporting the fight against one of the most heinous crimes today.
Many Kenyans have fallen victim to human traffickers, especially in the Middle East where many are lured by the promise of jobs only to find themselves working in deplorable, slave-like conditions. Others, especially children, are trafficked to foreign lands, where they are physically abused.
Kenya’s youth unemployment and tough economic conditions mean that there will always be takers for these dubious opportunities. This explains the rise in the number of identified victims of trafficking to 853 from at least 400 in 2018, a majority of them being subjected to forced labour.
Whenever the cases of human trafficking come up though, what has stood out is the inability of the State to intervene and bring the victims back to safety.
This is why the creation of this fund is important. It will, however, need to be accompanied by a wider set of changes in regulations.
First, it is important to make sure the fund is not abused. Instances when people can draw from it must be strictly defined.
This will ensure that the much-needed funds will go to the genuine victims of human trafficking, who are not limited to those working in foreign lands.
It must also be accompanied by tighter controls on the people facilitating travel and jobs in the worst affected countries.
These agents paint a rosy picture of the overseas job markets to desperate Kenyans, only to hand them over to the cruel employers once abroad. In some instances the agents collude with employers to have the workers’ passports confiscated as the first step in forced labour.
It is therefore important to ensure that there are tighter rules governing this exportation of labour. The government must also ensure that Kenyan embassies abroad are keeping an eye on those employed within their areas of responsibility.
Failure to address the root cause of the human trafficking issue will only result in the fund being overwhelmed in short order, going by the trend of cases in recent years.
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