BY ZEKARIAS WOLDEMARIAM
The last couple of decades were times that were highly occupied when HIV was a monster in developing countries. Indeed it knocked everyone’s door. With no difference in age, sex, color … etc and decimated thousands. When elders were left helpless, children were left orphans.
The problem it created still thrives to be fresh in the minds of many that it does not need any effort to remind people. At the moment all efforts were focused on it. No stone was left unturned to uproot it from the society. Governments, non-governmental organizations, international donors and humanitarian organizations, religious institutions, media, educational institutions … etc made it a mainstream issue.
The virus still remains a challenge in many developing countries. However, as compared to the level it was in the worst days of its effect, there are some improvements thanks to the all-out concerted efforts of the government, non-governmental organizations, and religious institutions.
At this moment developing countries that used to face the brunt of HIV pandemic are now suffering the worst impacts of human trafficking. Human trafficking is a global problem that is causing social, economic and political problem on the society. Yet due to their economic disadvantage developing countries are still the primary victims.
“Human trafficking is one of the biggest vices of our modern day. Statistics show around 1.2 to 1.5 million people are trafficked each day. So, the work is there to be done. The money that comes out of human trafficking is in billions.
And it also lays the foundation for other things such as Human smuggling, drug smuggling, drug trafficking” says Julius Kiyingi, an international lawyer who works as Coordinator of Love Justice International, East Africa and Malawi Regional Office.
As Kiyingi says, one of the problems that aggravates human trafficking in developing countries is that it takes advantage of poverty, a serious socio economic problem that besets many developing countries’. Where many people have no jobs, nothing or very less to eat, it is indeed difficult to convince people that being trafficked is just dangerous for them. Therefore, they would be easily convinced, cheated and get trafficked.
Studies also indicate that human traffickers prey on people who are poor, isolated and weak. Issues such as disempowerment, social exclusion and economic vulnerability are the result of policies and practices that marginalize entire groups of people and
make them particularly vulnerable to being trafficked. Natural disasters, conflict and political turmoil weaken already tenuous social protection measures. Individuals are vulnerable to being trafficked not only because of conditions in their countries of origin, however.
While poverty is a major enabling factor for human trafficking failure to properly recognize it as an alarming problem is also a challenge. Even though it is somehow raised by government , media and other institutions as a problem in every country, it is not given the weight it deserves tantamount to the chaos it is creating in the countries. Kiyingi reiterates that developing countries need to apply a massive level of campaign, media and public mobilization as well as advocacy works that were applied to thwart the alarming level of HIV pandemic in the past.
“Yes, as I said, it really comes down to how prevent trafficking is in a country and how the government wants to address it. Because if a government really does understand that trafficking is a problem, it just needs mass sensitization, mass educational campaigns, in schools, in churches, you know, on the radio or on the TV, the same efforts that our governments have put towards combating AIDS and other epidemics and other major issues. The same effort should be put into human trafficking, but sadly enough in a lot of the countries isn’t, and that’s why we find it is up to NGOs and civil society organizations to step in and fill this gap”
As Kiyingi noted advocating is crucial in the fight to stop human trafficking. It is important to address issues, help people understand the views of trafficking, and to have their support. Furthermore , it is important to expand sensitization and awareness raising activities so as to fight the problem surely in the long run. For every society, children and youth the hopes of the future. Unfortunately, for the traffickers too, they are the future victims unless they are given the necessary protection, education as to how to fend of this global vice.
“In general, these needs to be addressed, where you have children who don’t finish school, you have children, you have generation of broken families, you have generations of communities that don’t care about the value of a child.
These are the issues that we have to tackle, the value of a child the rights of a child, because it all starts with our children, if we educate our children to understand that as they grow older, the dangers in this world that they need to understand that they need to face, you are going to have generation of children who are more educated more aware, and whom trafficker or broker cannot easily connive”, argues Kiyingi.
Editor’s Note: The views entertained in this article do not necessarily reflect the stance of The Ethiopian Herald
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD FRIDAY 7 APRIL 2023
