GOV’T RESCUES SEVEN TRAFFICKED WOMEN
GOVERNMENT has since January this year rescued and repatriated seven women who fell victim to traffickers from a known Asian country.
And last year, Zambia recorded 41 human trafficking cases involving 194 victims and 46 suspects.
“These victims spanned all demographics—men, women, boys, and girls indicating that no one is immune to this crime,” Home Affairs and Internal Security Permanent Secretary Dickson Matembo.
He noted that Zambia’s growing economy has also brought challenges, particularly in sectors such as construction, agriculture and the informal economy, where traffickers exploit labour demands to recruit vulnerable individuals for cheap labour.
In a speech read by director of anti-human trafficking Boris Mulenga, during the commemoration of the World Day against Trafficking in Persons (TIP) and the launch of the National Action Plan on TIP in Lusaka, Mr Matembo said that Government is implementing targeted measures to combat human trafficking and protect society’s most vulnerable.
“Our government is aware of the rising trend in internal trafficking, where individuals are lured from rural to urban areas with false promises of employment, education, or marriage, only to be exploited through forced labour, domestic servitude, or sexual exploitation,” Mr Matembo said.
ZDM