Namibia tables anti-trafficking bill
In an effort to shore up efforts to combat human trafficking in Namibia the ministry of gender equality and child welfare tabled the Trafficking in Persons Bill last week.
Minister Doreen Sioka on Thursday told parliament that out of 15 SADC countries, Namibia is one of only two that did not have stand-alone legislation to tackle human trafficking.
She said while there were some legislative and other provisions pertaining to human trafficking and related crimes, they were not comprehensive.
The Trafficking in Persons Bill “is of great importance to the protection of human rights in Namibia” she said, urging the National Assembly to support the bill.
The bill is aimed at preventing and combating human trafficking, providing for prosecutions of persons who committed human trafficking offences and appropriate penalties as well as providing measures for the protection and assistance of trafficking victims. According to the 2017 US State Department's Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report released in June, Namibia “does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking. However, it is making significant efforts to do so.”
The report, which was met with some government scepticism, found that Namibia was, as reported over the past five years, “a source and destination country for children, and to a lesser extent women, subjected to forced labour and sex trafficking.”
The report noted that Namibian children were “subjected to forced labour in agriculture, cattle herding and domestic service, and to sex trafficking in Windhoek and Walvis Bay.”
The report referred to a 2015 media report which alleged that foreign sex tourists from southern Africa and Europe exploited child sex-trafficking victims in Namibia.
Stacey Sutton, a consul at the US embassy in Windhoek, who worked on the TIP report, told Namibian Sun that the report was “a collaborative effort and not a combative one as is sometime portrayed, and we have been pleased with the collaboration of the Namibian government.”
Sutton explained that the report's recommendations were based on tailored best practices gleaned from around the world, including the United States.
“In the best case, the TIP report is a stepping-off point for a dialogue between the US government and the host nation as we both seek to address TIP as a global problem that requires a global solution.”
The goal of the report is to work with each country, including governments and relevant NGOs, “to provide the most accurate account of the state of human trafficking in the country and share global best practices.”
The 2017 TIP report stated that Namibia continued with anti-trafficking law enforcement efforts, including efforts to review the human trafficking bill.
The report recommended that the government finalise and enact “comprehensive anti-trafficking legislation” and increase efforts to investigate, prosecute and convict traffickers, including for forced labour.
Other recommendations were that Namibia should adopt and implement a draft national mechanism to identify victims and refer them to care, as well as allocate additional resources for shelter services, including to develop a plan to fully operationalise renovated safe houses specifically for trafficking victims.
On Thursday, Sioka explained that in order to effectively coordinate the anti-trafficking efforts in Namibia, a multi-stakeholder national committee was established, chaired by the minister of International relations and cooperation.
Sutton explained that essentially the TIP report provided a vehicle “for good information to translate into life-saving action by government and non-government stakeholders in the fight against the scourge of human trafficking.”
JANA-MARI SMITH
Minister Doreen Sioka on Thursday told parliament that out of 15 SADC countries, Namibia is one of only two that did not have stand-alone legislation to tackle human trafficking.
She said while there were some legislative and other provisions pertaining to human trafficking and related crimes, they were not comprehensive.
The Trafficking in Persons Bill “is of great importance to the protection of human rights in Namibia” she said, urging the National Assembly to support the bill.
The bill is aimed at preventing and combating human trafficking, providing for prosecutions of persons who committed human trafficking offences and appropriate penalties as well as providing measures for the protection and assistance of trafficking victims. According to the 2017 US State Department's Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report released in June, Namibia “does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking. However, it is making significant efforts to do so.”
The report, which was met with some government scepticism, found that Namibia was, as reported over the past five years, “a source and destination country for children, and to a lesser extent women, subjected to forced labour and sex trafficking.”
The report noted that Namibian children were “subjected to forced labour in agriculture, cattle herding and domestic service, and to sex trafficking in Windhoek and Walvis Bay.”
The report referred to a 2015 media report which alleged that foreign sex tourists from southern Africa and Europe exploited child sex-trafficking victims in Namibia.
Stacey Sutton, a consul at the US embassy in Windhoek, who worked on the TIP report, told Namibian Sun that the report was “a collaborative effort and not a combative one as is sometime portrayed, and we have been pleased with the collaboration of the Namibian government.”
Sutton explained that the report's recommendations were based on tailored best practices gleaned from around the world, including the United States.
“In the best case, the TIP report is a stepping-off point for a dialogue between the US government and the host nation as we both seek to address TIP as a global problem that requires a global solution.”
The goal of the report is to work with each country, including governments and relevant NGOs, “to provide the most accurate account of the state of human trafficking in the country and share global best practices.”
The 2017 TIP report stated that Namibia continued with anti-trafficking law enforcement efforts, including efforts to review the human trafficking bill.
The report recommended that the government finalise and enact “comprehensive anti-trafficking legislation” and increase efforts to investigate, prosecute and convict traffickers, including for forced labour.
Other recommendations were that Namibia should adopt and implement a draft national mechanism to identify victims and refer them to care, as well as allocate additional resources for shelter services, including to develop a plan to fully operationalise renovated safe houses specifically for trafficking victims.
On Thursday, Sioka explained that in order to effectively coordinate the anti-trafficking efforts in Namibia, a multi-stakeholder national committee was established, chaired by the minister of International relations and cooperation.
Sutton explained that essentially the TIP report provided a vehicle “for good information to translate into life-saving action by government and non-government stakeholders in the fight against the scourge of human trafficking.”
JANA-MARI SMITH
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