'Travel for jobs with registered, credible agencies'

The Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development, Martin Wandera, (c) chatting with Grace  Mukwaya( R),executive director, Platform for Labour Action (PLA) during the training. Photos by Andrew MasindeThe Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development, Martin Wandera, (c) chatting with Grace  Mukwaya( L),executive director, Platform for Labour Action (PLA) during the training. Photos by Andrew Masinde

Ugandans seeking jobs abroad have been advised to work with registered companies.

The director Labour at the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development, Martin Wandera, made the call during a training of members of Uganda Association of External Recruitment Agencies.

The training was about the emerging trends of human trafficking and the role of the labour export companies in preventing the vice and the recruitment of women and girls into exploitative migrant labour.

Trafficking in persons (TIP) is one of the modern crimes that have raised a lot of concern in Uganda with so many people complaining that they were mistreated while abroad.

The training that happened from January 16-17, attracted external recruitment agencies.

Some of Uganda Association of External Recruitment Agencies (UAERA) members during the training

 
According to the executive director, Platform for Labour Action (PLA), Grace Mukwaya, the organisation carried out a study on trafficking in persons, which showed that the victims of labour exploitation had gone abroad in search of a job.

"Most of these people go without a clear picture of what jobs they are going to do and end up in trouble. Many of these people go because they were convinced by a friend or were promised a lot of money," she explains.

In response, PLA is training the registered recruitment agencies on how best they can prevent trafficking in persons.

Mukwaya highlighted that some recruitment agencies that take people abroad for work are not registered and they are the very ones claiming to pay a huge sum of money, when they reach the foreign land, they land in wrong hands, girls report having their passports confiscated abroad and later forced into sex trade.

 
Meanwhile, many recruitment agencies have been denied licences because they failed to meet the quality standards, "We, therefore, urge all Ugandans preparing to travel abroad for work to register with the Ministry of Gender to enable us monitor them and ensure their safety even when abroad," he notes.

Wandera added that the Ugandan government is smoothening the external labour recruitment exercise or to register the right recruitment agencies to ensure that Ugandan citizens employed overseas are treated fairly.

"All Ugandans who are going abroad for work should ensure that they go through registered companies. Because in case of any problem, it is easier to get redress with the help of the recruitment agencies," he stresses.

He added that government signed agreements with Saudi Arabia and other countries to ensure the safety of Ugandans seeking employment abroad.