Blog #6 Trafficking of Ugandan Women to Asia on the Rise

The International Organization of Migration (IOM), reports that victims of trafficking who have been helped by the IMO are saying that they have suffered rape, torture, and sexual slavery. About 600 Ugandan women who have been trafficked, are reported to be Malaysia with another 10 to 20 arriving there every week. Zarfarullah Hassim, the Trafficking-in-People communication specialist at the IOM in Uganda, believes that the reason Malaysia is the preferred destination for traffickers is because of the many job and study opportunities available there. Women are being lured there believing that they are going to work or school. It is reported that "respectable Ugandans" are the ones responsible for the trafficking. The Uganda Prevention of Trafficking in Persons Act was enacted in 2009, but little has been done to implement it. Due to concerns raised by the IOM about the trafficking problem of Ugandan women, the issue of human trafficking has been requested to be reintroduced into the Ugandan parliament.

I continue to see the same guise being used by traffickers here in Uganda that I see in so many other countries. Women and girls in particular are being lured to other countries for the purpose of sexual exploitation through the guise of a promised job, good money, and educational opportunities. Human trafficking is a huge business. The amount of money involved is probably close to astronomical. That being the case, many traffickers have learned all the tricks to gaining access to their potential victims and avoiding the law. Unfortunately, due to the amount of money involved in trafficking, many of those working in law enforcement around the world, turn a blind eye to the trafficking because they are on the payroll of the traffickers. As long as there is a demand, there will be victims. Can that demand be curbed? Tougher penalties are needed for those responsible, but more importantly, tougher penalties are needed for those who are supplying the demand. These "johns" need more than just a slap on the wrist in order to slow down the demand for trafficking victims.

http://www.voanews.com/english/news/africa/Trafficking-of-Ugandan-Women-to-Asia-on-the-Rise-139527723.html