Over 1,000 human trafficking victims rescued — DPP
Abodo revealed that over 1,260 victims of trafficking in persons were identified and rescued last year.
Hon. Lady Justice Jane Frances Abodo, Director of Public Prosecutions delivering her opening remarks during the second National workshop on the standard operating procedures for investigating and prosecuting cases of trafficking in persons in Uganda at Fairway Hotel on Tuesday, November 26, 2024. (Photos by Mpalanyi Ssentongo)
NewVision Reporter
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More than 1,000 victims of human trafficking have been identified and rescued between January and October this year, Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Jane Frances Abodo has said.
The chief prosecutor disclosed the shocking statistics during a second national workshop on the implementation of the standard operating procedures (SOPs) for investigating and prosecuting cases of trafficking in persons in the country at Fairway Hotel in Kampala on Monday, December 2, 2024.
“Human trafficking is a silent global pandemic and it affects all of us in one way or the other because it is happening to us or the people we know. Between January and October this year, there were 1,037 victims identified and rescued. So, we need to up our game and make the life of the traffickers very difficult not only in Uganda but globally,” Abodo said.
Lino Anguzu, Ass. DPP, Head International Crimes Department ODPP (left) and Hon. Lady Justice Jane Frances Abodo, Director of Public Prosecutions in consultations during the opening of the second National workshop on the standard operating procedures for investigating and prosecuting cases of trafficking in persons in Uganda at Fairway Hotel on Tuesday, November 26, 2024. 
Human trafficking involves the exploitation of others in the form of sex, labour, slavery or practices similar to slavery, servitude or the removal, manipulation or implantation of organs among others.
Abodo further revealed that over 1,260 victims of trafficking in persons were identified and rescued last year entreating the Police detectives and prosecutors to take cases of human trafficking seriously because it is a grave violation of human rights.
“Sometimes, our inaction breeds impunity. We need to see criminals hiding not in Uganda. Let’s make life so difficult for them. Let’s not make Uganda a safe haven for the criminals,” Abodo said.
Abodo noted that Uganda, like most countries, is a source, route and destination for trafficking in persons and fighting it thus requires a multifaceted approach being an amorphous crime.
Regarding the SOPs for investigating and prosecuting cases of trafficking in persons which were established on September 9, 2022, and launched in February this year, Abodo said if they are fully implemented, the criminals (traffickers) are going to have sleepless nights.
She noted that the SOPs are conceived as a practical tool to conduct comprehensive and effective criminal proceedings against trafficking in persons as they bring together reactive and proactive investigative approaches and are based on intelligence led and prosecution guided investigations in which also international police cooperation and financial investigations are included.
“These SOPs reflect our dedication in fostering rule of law in this country. I want to request the investigators and prosecutors to implement these SOPs so that they become a guiding force for us. You know, we don’t have a witness protection law which means our victims cannot be protected. This means we should do prosecution but we also need to look for ways of protecting the victims,” Abodo said.
Underscoring the importance of embracing the SOPs by the investigators and prosecutors, Abodo said they are victim centered and this enables them to avoid re-victimisation.
The SOPs were developed by the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) and the police with the participation of other relevant agencies and with support of United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and CIVIPOL in the framework of Better Migration Management Programme (BMM).
“We already have a dissemination strategy for these SOPs which aim to provide a clear framework or campus showing us where we need to go. So, I urge you to embrace them because they are accompanied with a checklist which enables us in data collection which is very important because data helps us to make decisions,” Abodo noted.
Marco Bufo, the CIVIPOL BBM regional co-ordinator and team leader noted that trafficking in persons is a transnational crime and it requires a multifaceted approach.
“We need to adopt an intelligence led approach if we want not to disrupt but to dismantle the traffickers. We are very glad that we have been able to print a checklist, it is a practical tool for you to ensure that supervisors see that they are implemented,” said Bufo.
To enhance conviction rates, Bufo said there is need to adopt the best practices of managing and reserving the chain of custody.
“These SOPs are complemented by a checklist that will soon digitalise to facilitate their use across the county and be accessible both online and offline,” he said.
Bufo noted that the SOPs have been embraced in Kenya, Djibouti and Ethiopia and the European Union has committed funds towards it.
“Trafficking in persons takes place every day and thus continuous efforts are needed to combat it,” Bufo said.
To make SOPs effective, Bufo said not only training is needed but also practice.
“We have to handle traffickers and their agents. We need to use a human right based and victim centred approach. Practice oriented but also having impact on the systems,” Bufo said.
Senior Superintendent of Police Annet Karungi, the acting head of trafficking in persons and sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) department in Police, welcomed the SOPs but underscored the need to have them fully implemented.
“We reiterate our efforts in combating trafficking in persons because it is spreading like fire. These SOPs will be like our Bible to ensure that we do the right thing to enhance convictions. As the Criminal Investigations Directorate (CID), we are going to take efforts to ensure that this message reaches all investigators,” Karungi said.
Solomon Wasia Masitsa, the associate programme management officer at UNODC, said the SOPs will play a vital role in building synergies in the region and fostering fighting trafficking in persons and immigrants.
Assistant DPP Lino Anguzu, the head of international crimes department at ODPP, explained that they developed the SOPs to improve and galvanise efforts in combating traffic in persons in the country.
The police report
The 2023 Annual Police Crime report indicated that cases of human trafficking in the country decreased by 16.6%.
The report indicates that in 2023, the police recorded 1,006 cases of trafficking in persons compared to 1,200 cases in 2022.