United States Embassy in Zimbabwe has called for stern action against individuals and companies involved in human trafficking to stamp out the vice that has plagued humanity.
Giving a keynote address during a Food for Thought discussion session on trafficking in persons in Harare on Tuesday, US Foreign Service Officer, Jennifer Savage condemned human trafficking in the country urging people to understand background and practices of people ad companies they deal with.
“We as individuals can make a difference by being aware of our own habits, by understanding the background and practices of the companies we use when we purchase our clothing, our food “When profits stop, so will the practice of trafficking in persons.
“Human trafficking is a $150 billion illicit industry and it touches millions of lives across, not just the United States, not just Zimbabwe but across every country in the world. “We must treat this as a problem not to be managed but as a crime that has to be stopped,” said Savage.
Speaking on the same occasion, International Organisation for Migration representative, Daniel Sam said human trafficking is an abusive process which needs to be dealt with immediately.
“It is a form of modern day slavery and constitute human rights violations against the individual and the State it is an abusive process; that is why we need to counter it,” said Sam.
He added that there is exploitation in all stages of the process- from recruitment to destination, saying his organization is working with other international partners at every level to deal with root causes of trafficking.
Samantha Munodawafa, a Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Officer at United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime said 13 out of 15 countries in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region had legislation on the crime, adding that the region had to contend with unique cases such as trafficking in body parts for albinos, girls being trafficked as a result of cultural beliefs among others.
According to the U.S. Department of State Trafficking in Persons report, 55 per cent of trafficked people are women or girls, and 26 per cent of trafficked people are children. The report notes that Zimbabwe is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children subjected to sex trafficking and forced labor. Women and girls from Zimbabwean towns bordering South Africa, Mozambique, and Zambia are subjected to forced labor, including domestic servitude, and sex trafficking in brothels catering to long-distance truck drivers on both sides of the borders.
