Kenya Airways launches policy to eradicate human trafficking
From left: Labour and Social Protection CS Florence Bore, her Transport counterpart Kipchumba Murkomen, Kenya Airways Chief Finance Officer Hellen Mwariri, Head of Corporate Security Bernard Oganga and US embassy political officer Claire Thomas during the launch of the airline’s human trafficking policy at the Four Points by Sheraton hotel in Nairobi on March 6, 2023.
When Fauzia Muthoni left the country in 2010, she knew she had landed a receptionist’s job in Qatar.
She had gotten the job via a travel agency that had, instead, “sold” her as a domestic worker in Saudi Arabia without her consent.
It dawned on her that she had been duped when she was informed upon arrival in Qatar that she had an onward flight to Riyadh where her new boss would be waiting.
“It was shocking and very hurtful and I kept waiting to be picked for hours upon arrival,” she recalled. Her new boss arrived at night speaking in Arabic, a language she didn’t understand and they drove to his house where she said she was forced to quickly adjust to their way of life and learn a few basic Arabic words like water to get by.
“I used to work 18 hours, sleep for about three hours and feed on leftovers. This went on until my three-month probation period was over and they knew I could not go back so they started abusing me. They felt I was their slave, since they ‘bought’ me,” she said. She remembers nose-bleeding after staying in the parking lot for hours under the intense and dry Qatar heat where temperatures rose to above 45 degrees.
“It was so traumatising. One day I decided to run away but I got arrested. My boss told me I had to return to his house and finish my contract or else his family would lie that I stole from them and I would be jailed,” she recalled.
Later on, Fauzia was deported back to Kenya but the stigma of returning home broke kept her isolated from family and friends.
A friend later on introduced her to a counsellor who helped her heal. She now helps women to avoid falling prey to unscrupulous travel agents.
Fauzia is one of the many victims of human trafficking to Saudi Arabia, the leading destination of persons trafficked from Kenya according to the latest report by the National Crime and Research Centre (NCRC). Scarce employment opportunities push people to Saudi Arabia where they often end up as victims.
“Countries in the Middle East region account for 52.4 per cent of persons trafficked from Kenya while those in the African region account for 42.1per cent,” the report notes.
Kenya has been identified as a source, traffic route and destination for human trafficking. It’s designated as a tier two nation, which means that the government has not fully met the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking but is making significant efforts to do so.
Such efforts include yesterday’s launch of the trafficking in persons’ policy by national carrier Kenya Airways that came into effect in January. With the policy, Kenya Airways committed to training its staff on how to identify traffickers and victims and report suspicious activities and persons. In partnership with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Kenya Airways has kicked off training its staff as well as immigration, security and customs officials on human trafficking and developed action plans to combat the vice.
Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen said the crime affects women the most since trafficking for sexual exploitation ranks higher followed by forced labour.
“The criminal enterprise involved has blatantly ignored the intrinsic dignity of humanity, devalued and undervalued their victims’ worth and have constantly used the loopholes in our immigration and transport systems to enable the transportation of their victims,” said the CS.
The government will increase camera surveillance along key roads to monitor passenger behaviour across the city.
Labour CS Florence Bore said the transnational nature of the crime calls for deployment of multi-agency approaches to prevent and respond to incidents within and across the borders.
Kenya Airways Chief Financial Officer Hellen Mwariri Mathuka noted that the East Africa region has become a new hub for human trafficking hence the need for collaboration with aviation partners to curb the vice as well as modern slavery.
“We stand against all forms of human trafficking, fully support the elimination of the exploitation of human beings and modern slavery and will not condone human trafficking in any part of our organisation,” she said.
