Be vigilant against human trafficking
Police chief Sebastian Ndeitunga couldn’t have said it any better when he expressed his utmost concern over the increasing cases of human trafficking. The general was specifically referring to the alleged human trafficking case involving an Air Namibia employee working as a check-in agent at the Hosea Kutako International Airport. The case came to light this week when the national airline employee and his accomplice – an Angolan national – were arrested on Monday for alleged human trafficking. According to reports, the two men are accused of smuggling 11 Angolan nationals on an Air Namibia flight to Frankfurt. There are many cases of human trafficking that occur across our borders and even though law enforcement agencies are stepping up efforts to crack down on offences of this nature, the crimes continue unabated. Most recently prosecutor-general Martha Imalwa confirmed this rising wave of human trafficking at a recent retreat in Oshakati where she announced that between 600 000 and 800 000 people are trafficked across international borders every year. The shocking truth is that Namibian citizens and foreign nationals are abetting these illegal activities of human trafficking. It is reported that 25 cases of human trafficking have been recorded since 2010 and most of these cases are still before the courts, with six pending trial. “Currently, there is no case pending for the prosecutor-general's decision, while 14 cases are still under investigation,” Ndeitunga said earlier this month at a northern conference. It is all good and well that the authorities are doubling efforts to curb the scourge of human trafficking and that government is committed to enhancing the prosecution of traffickers, having criminalised all forms of human trafficking. But we can do better as nation. With the help of law enforcement agencies there is a need to involve a broad range of stakeholders, to raise public awareness campaigns, specifically when it comes to sex trafficking. It is essential that these campaigns target the most vulnerable communities, who are in most cases oblivious to the consequences of human trafficking and what's more, the most vulnerable to this evil.
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