With the main goal of strengthening regional responses towards child trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation in East Africa, regional Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) representatives around the great lakes region turned up at Metropole Hotel to discuss on the implementation of human trafficking instruments and commercial sexual exploitation of children and women (CSECW) in East Africa yesterday Thursday 10th May.
Some of the representatives work with CSOs like Rahab Uganda, HAART In Kenya, Akina Mama wa Africa, FIDA, UN Women Africa, among others. Among the keynote issues presented by the representatives include various ways of human trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation of children and women as well as what their countries have done to eliminate these acts.
While presenting to her fellow CSO representatives, FIDA’s Elizabeth Kemigisha revealed that the International Labor Organization (ILO) estimated that trafficking generated around $150 billion in illegal annual profits and $ 99 billion of that coming from commercial sexual exploitation.
“The main international mechanisms behind anti trafficking measures are the UN 2000 protocol to protect, prevent, suppress and punish trafficking in persons, women and children” Kemigisha noted yesterday.
The conference also featured interactions related to Sex Gender Based Violence (SGBV) as well as child trafficking. Alexis Nkurunziza the Executive Director of Rwanda Religious Leaders Forum noted that Rwanda is not an isolated case interns of Human trafficking because it has been listed among countries that don’t fully comply to Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) minimum standards.
However, Alexis noted that at least 153 cases of human trafficking were registered in Rwanda since 2009, 90% of them female and 82% of them aged 18-35 as per police statistics.
Annet Kirabira, Rahab Uganda’s representative noted that the government has set up a clear task force to address Human trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation of children and women in Uganda who however later said that Implementation of laws that govern Commercial sexual exploitation of children and women, human trafficking is still a big challenge in Uganda.
Basing on the Tanzania representative’s views, Some of the challenges in regards to Human trafficking and CSECW in Tanzania include; lack of data base system, inadequate knowledge and inadequate government shelters.
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