PANAPRESS
Panafrican News Agency
IOM helps teenage Kenyan trafficked victims return home
Khartoum, Sudan (PANA) - The International Organization for Migration (IOM) working with UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) has helped two teenage Kenyan victims of human trafficking to return home from South Sudan.
In the first case of its kind handled by IOM South Sudan, the teenagers, who were recruited in a rural Kenyan community for domestic servitude and later forced into marriage, escaped and were referred to IOM and UNICEF by the Kenyan community, a press release issued by IOM and received by PANA in Khartoum on Tuesday said.
It pointed out that following IOM screening, they were referred to a safe house in the South Sudanese capital, Juba. IOM has since returned them to Kenya, where they will receive shelter, counseling, education and reintegration support to restart their lives.
"Human trafficking has been identified as a growing problem in South Sudan, with evidence that trafficking for forced labour and the sex industry are particularly prevalent in the country's urban centres."
It pointed out that young girls from rural areas and women who are internally displaced are particularly vulnerable to trafficking for forced labour as domestic servants.
The US State Department's 2012 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report placed South Sudan on its Tier 2 Watch List, citing the country's failure to convict and prosecute those involved in human trafficking.
Tier 2 indicates that South Sudan does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking, but is making significant efforts to do so.
According to South Sudan's Ministry of Justice, the country has drafted an Anti-Trafficking Bill. However, there are currently no existing policies or processes in place to combat the trade and prosecute traffickers.
The release said IOM was working closely with the Ministries for the Interior, Justice and Foreign Affairs and had trained over 170 immigration and police personnel in the past 18 months.
Border guards, immigration officers and members of the South Sudan Police Service have attended IOM training workshops on identifying and assisting trafficked victims and prosecuting traffickers.
In the absence of legislation, IOM alerted border officials and police officers to the range of crimes traffickers commit during the act of deceiving, transporting and exploiting victims.
IOM has called on the international community to intensify efforts to address the issue and has appealed for funding to conduct an initial base-line assessment to determine the extent of human trafficking both across the border into South Sudan from neighboring countries, and internally between rural areas and urban centers.
The Government of South Sudan also needs technical assistance to increase its capacity to identify and assist victims of human trafficking, and to prevent the crime and effectively prosecute traffickers.
Public awareness campaigns are also needed to inform the public about the issue and to inform victims about the resources available to help them.
IOM works to combat human trafficking in 94 countries. Its counter trafficking activities target prevention of the crime, protection of victims and prosecution of traffickers.
-0- PANA MO/MA 14Aug2012
In the first case of its kind handled by IOM South Sudan, the teenagers, who were recruited in a rural Kenyan community for domestic servitude and later forced into marriage, escaped and were referred to IOM and UNICEF by the Kenyan community, a press release issued by IOM and received by PANA in Khartoum on Tuesday said.
It pointed out that following IOM screening, they were referred to a safe house in the South Sudanese capital, Juba. IOM has since returned them to Kenya, where they will receive shelter, counseling, education and reintegration support to restart their lives.
"Human trafficking has been identified as a growing problem in South Sudan, with evidence that trafficking for forced labour and the sex industry are particularly prevalent in the country's urban centres."
It pointed out that young girls from rural areas and women who are internally displaced are particularly vulnerable to trafficking for forced labour as domestic servants.
The US State Department's 2012 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report placed South Sudan on its Tier 2 Watch List, citing the country's failure to convict and prosecute those involved in human trafficking.
Tier 2 indicates that South Sudan does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking, but is making significant efforts to do so.
According to South Sudan's Ministry of Justice, the country has drafted an Anti-Trafficking Bill. However, there are currently no existing policies or processes in place to combat the trade and prosecute traffickers.
The release said IOM was working closely with the Ministries for the Interior, Justice and Foreign Affairs and had trained over 170 immigration and police personnel in the past 18 months.
Border guards, immigration officers and members of the South Sudan Police Service have attended IOM training workshops on identifying and assisting trafficked victims and prosecuting traffickers.
In the absence of legislation, IOM alerted border officials and police officers to the range of crimes traffickers commit during the act of deceiving, transporting and exploiting victims.
IOM has called on the international community to intensify efforts to address the issue and has appealed for funding to conduct an initial base-line assessment to determine the extent of human trafficking both across the border into South Sudan from neighboring countries, and internally between rural areas and urban centers.
The Government of South Sudan also needs technical assistance to increase its capacity to identify and assist victims of human trafficking, and to prevent the crime and effectively prosecute traffickers.
Public awareness campaigns are also needed to inform the public about the issue and to inform victims about the resources available to help them.
IOM works to combat human trafficking in 94 countries. Its counter trafficking activities target prevention of the crime, protection of victims and prosecution of traffickers.
-0- PANA MO/MA 14Aug2012
