National action plan on trafficking launched

Gender minister Doreen Sioka on Friday launched a five-year national action plan on trafficking in persons at Oshikango in the Ohangwena Region.The launch coincided with World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, which is commemorated every year on 30 July to raise awareness about people who are trafficked for labour or sexual exploitation. Sioka - who read a speech on behalf of international relations minister Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah - said the commemoration further helps to reach out to vulnerable communities by providing relevant information on trafficking in persons. In the speech, Nandi-Ndaitwah said communities are sensitised that trafficking in persons is a crime and it should be reported to relevant authorities.She added that trafficking in persons has become a huge global concern. According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime’s (UNODC) 2022 global report on trafficking in persons, approximately 450 000 victims and 300 000 potential perpetrators were detected globally between 2003 and 2021.“Factors that escalate trafficking in persons include global disasters, war conflicts, socio-economic inequalities, climate change, unemployment, poverty and displacement of people. This is an indication that member states need to work together to address such issues in order to prevent trafficking in persons by enacting anti-trafficking legislation, create awareness, prosecute traffickers and help victims of trafficking, to mention just a few.”Namibians not spared Nandi-Ndaitwah said despite the presence of the national action plan - which will be in affect from 2023 to 2028 - Namibian people remain at risk of trafficking in persons - particularly those who live in poverty, who are unemployed, have limited access to education, experience violence or abuse and are from marginalised communities. In fact, women, girls and children are most at risk, and are often trafficked for forced labour and sex work, she added.According to the UNODC report, Namibia is a source, transit and destination country for trafficking in persons and other transnational organised crimes. “Young Namibians are often recruited from Namibia through agents or adverts in printed and social media to different countries for the purposes of forced labour and sexual exploitation. Young boys and girls from neighbouring countries are recruited from rural areas for employment in Namibia as street vendors, cattle herders and domestic workers, which usually turns into forced labour, an act that is prohibited by Namibian laws,” it read.ChallengesDue to the impact of Covid-19 pandemic and other related factors, Namibia faced several challenges in fully eliminating trafficking in persons. Nandi-Ndaitwah said these challenges include limited information on what constitutes trafficking in person, unemployment - especially among the youth in both rural and urban areas - and victim assistance.From 2010 to date, a total of 101 cases of trafficking in persons were reported in Namibia - 38 are under investigation, 24 are awaiting trial, five have been submitted to the prosecutor-general and 34 have been finalised. “Sixty victims of trafficking were identified. During the 2022/2023 financial year, 10 victims were repatriated safely back to Namibia, while another 10 were repatriated to their countries of origin,” Nandi-Ndaitwah said.

National action plan on trafficking launched

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Namibian Sun 2025-05-08

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National action plan on trafficking launched

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Namibian Sun 2025-05-08

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