Arrest human traffickers who use persons with disability as beggars

July 30 was the annual World Day Against Trafficking in Persons. The day is used to highlight the plight and challenges faced by adults and children who are survivors of trafficking in persons also known as human trafficking, and to create awareness of this international crime.

Those involved in the exploitative and abusive criminality usually recruit and sell their fellow human beings, including children, into not only slave-like labour conditions, domestic work and prostitution, but also subject them to serious violation of their human rights.

Research shows that Kenya has the highest level of child trafficking in Africa. In the country, the traffickers abuse and exploit children through domestic work mostly in Nairobi, Kisumu, Mombasa and Nakuru cities and other growing urban areas, especially in the agriculture and fishing segments, street begging and hawking as well as prostitution and other forms of labour, which is mostly forced and done in a dishonest manner.

In Africa, as in other developing regions such as Asia, human trafficking victims are mostly from poor backgrounds, with the deceitful traffickers taking advantage of their vulnerability and desperation to exploit them.

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) explains that the 2021 theme, “Victims’ voices lead the way,” highlights the importance of listening to and learning from the survivors of human trafficking, key actors in the fight against this international crime. 

Begging and hawking

UNODC adds that survivors play a crucial role in establishing effective measures to prevent this crime, identifying and rescuing victims and supporting them through rehab.

Here at home, however, there is a need to not only listen to the ever-increasing numbers of local and regional victims of human trafficking, but also to protect them. 

The sight of minors — girls and boys — in the so-called domestic service, begging and hawking in the streets and even slaving in rough and tough menial jobs at quarries and mines is common. This not only raises questions on those responsible for dealing with the vice, but it’s also an adverse reflection of a non-caring society.

But it’s right to put the blame where it belongs. In some of Nairobi’s main roads, streets and even highways, beggars with disability, mostly accompanied minors on wheelchair, abound. It’s clear, too, that most of them are not Kenyans. How did they end up there?

My take is that officers from the Department of Children’s Services, investigators and others view this obvious eyesore with indifference. Consequently, with no threat in sight, the traffickers are emboldened to bring in even more vulnerable and desperate adults and minors and thrust them into the rough streets to beg for pay. How does such a disturbing scenario become business as usual?

Harsher penalties

For as long as this human trafficking is allowed to prevail, with the authorities looking the other way, these exposed children and adults will continue suffering doubly. The media has exposed the dingy and shady dwellings, mostly in the sprawling informal settlements, where the victims are kept by the traffickers in deplorable conditions.

Luckily, a few of these trafficked children with disability have been rescued and taken shelters or put under the protection of NGOs. But some of these organisations overstretch their needs to take care of them.

This should not happen when the country has people who are tasked with the responsibility of fighting crimes such as human trafficking. They should not only ensure the arrest and prosecution of the perpetrators of  the crime, but also their conviction.

It’s essential that the government implement recommendations and findings of the “2021 Trafficking in Persons Report on Kenya” by the US State Department’s Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons. This includes “vigorously” investigating, prosecuting and convicting the traffickers and complicit officials. They should be handed harsher penalties, such as lengthy  prison terms, and their victims given protection.

The proposal to put up shelters for human trafficking victims’ exclusive use and give funding or in-kind help to NGO-run shelters is timely. The duty to develop, adopt and execute an updated national action plan to fight human trafficking cannot also be gainsaid.

Ms Rugene is a consulting editor and founder, The Woman’s Newsroom Foundation.