Africa-Press – Uganda. A section of anti-human trafficking activists have said funding gaps and corruption among some government institutions hinders the fight against the vice which has claimed lives of innocent Ugandans.
“Governments across Africa lack funding and equipment for law enforcement agencies to rely on outside sources like NGOS to assist in training, funding and equipment,” Project Rescue Children (PRC) founder Adam Whittington said during a Monday visit to a family in Wakiso District which lost its child to traffickers in Kalangala District.
Whittington, whose organisation has since 2017 been engaged in rescuing and protecting children from child trafficking and exploitation in Uganda and other parts of the world, said government must address the above concerns.
“Sufficient funding would equip law enforcement agencies to combat child trafficking and exploitation,” he noted.
Activist Mariam Mwiza, the executive director of the Overseas Workers Voice Uganda (OWVU) told decried some law enforcers involved in human trafficking.
“In addition, corruption, corruption, corruption!! Based on my experience in this field, I have never lost a case of trafficking due to funding gaps but corruption and lack of will power by enforcers,” she remarked.
Uganda is currently operating under the Preventing Trafficking in Persons Act of 2009 which prescribes up to 15 years’ imprisonment for offenses involving adult victims and up to life imprisonment for those involving child victims.
But activists on Monday unanimously called on government to enact stricter penalties to curb the rising cases of child trafficking and exploitation across the country.
“The pain and suffering survivors and victims of trafficking have is a life sentence. The crime should be at least doubled to at least 30 years. This is a deterrent,” he said.
The 2022 National Police Report on Countering Trafficking in Persons in Uganda revealed that 1,200 people were trafficked in the year, up from 421 recorded in 2021. Of these 532 were children and 668 adults
Police attributed this increase primarily to the full opening of the economy after the Covid-19 lockdown.
Whittington believes there’s need for mass sensitization against human trafficking using both legacy and new media like social media.
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