Trafficking cases on the rise

Angolan and Zambian children as young as 12 are among victims of human trafficking in Namibia, while authorities warn that increasing numbers of Namibians are falling prey to international trafficking scams.

Gender equality and child welfare deputy minister Linda Mbwale last week said Namibia continues to record trafficking cases despite stronger legislation and increased law enforcement efforts.

Speaking during the commemoration of World Day Against Trafficking in Persons in Ongwediva, Mbwale said trafficking cases were rising locally and internationally.

“In 2026 alone, we have recorded cases of three females and two males, who were trafficked from Namibia to Myanmar,” she said.

She added that other recent cases involved a 13-year-old Zambian girl trafficked to Namibia, as well as a 14-year-old boy and three Angolan citizens, aged 12, 16 and 21, who were trafficked into Namibia. In most cases, the trafficked children and teenagers are forced into unpaid labour in domestic or agricultural settings.

Ministry of justice state advocate Martha Nghiyonanye warned last week that trafficking cases have spiked in several regions.

In Oshakati, cases rose from three in 2024-2025 to 10 in 2025-2026. Ondangwa increased from one to three cases over the same period. The Zambezi region has recorded 10 cases.

Nghiyonanye said many of the cases are linked to online romance scams.

Call for vigilance

Trafficking in persons is defined as the exploitation of adults or children for labour or sex through force, coercion or deception. The annual commemoration aims to raise public awareness on the dangers, indicators and deceptive methods used by traffickers.

Mbwale urged government, communities and civil society to do more to protect, prevent and respond to human trafficking.

She called for increased awareness creation, capacity building for law enforcement and service providers nationwide, stronger data collection systems, and enhanced facilities and support for victims, including reintegration, legal aid and counselling.

“Empower every citizen to report and act against suspected trafficking activities and enhance screening of potential victims,” she said.

“I urge all of you as parents, professionals, youth, community leaders and everyone else to keep each other safe by reporting suspected trafficking to the Namibian Police,” Mbwale said.

Despite the challenges, Mbwale said Namibia has made strides in operationalising its anti-trafficking framework.

These include a dedicated unit within the Namibian Police, a specialised High Court unit to handle such cases, and the development of a police and prosecutor training manual and pocket guides.

Other measures include a victim-centred approach backed by legislation, radio dramas in all local languages, awareness workshops in remote areas, and capacity building for social workers, gender officers, teachers and law enforcement.

She said the national toll-free numbers 10111 and 106 are fully operational to support data collection and emergency response.

Rescue mission

Oshikoto police regional commander Commissioner Ndeshipanda Iifo said the police dismantled an international 'pig butchering' criminal network in 2023 that recruited unemployed Namibian youth as 'internet promoters'.

Iifo said the syndicate used deceptive recruitment, controlled accommodation, restrictive working conditions and coercion to force victims to commit online fraud.

She said the police rescued victims under the non-punishment principle, which protects people from being prosecuted for crimes committed as a direct result of being trafficked.

Iifo also noted the return of Namibian youth from South-East Asia who were lured by fraudulent job ads for IT specialists, engineers and marketers. “They were provided with a plane ticket to the destination country or a neighbouring country from where they are smuggled to the scam compound,” she said.

Between April 2025 and June 2026, 16 Namibians were repatriated from Myanmar, Laos, Thailand and Cambodia through collaboration between the police and several government ministries.