Fighting human trafficking

By Darious Magara

Questions such as can you find human trafficking in Uganda or is it a myth, causes of human trafficking, and how do traffickers make money will be debated, argued and dissected during the ‘Capacity Building Workshop for the National Task Force’ and other government officials involved in fighting human trafficking.

The program manager of the American Bar Association’s Rule of Law Initiative (ABA ROLI), Dorah Caroline said Kampala will also focus on what is the human traffickers business model and how government can combat human trafficking.

She said in a statement on Wednesday that 2012 has seen Uganda make significant strides in her efforts to combat trafficking in persons.

In February this year, the internal affairs ministry designated the prevention of Trafficking in Persons (TIP) office.

Two months later in April, the National Task Force and Steering and Policy Committees were inaugurated.

“Setting up a three-tier governmental structure to address TIP issues and implement the Prevention of Trafficking In Persons Act of 2009 (PTIP Act) are some of the big strides government  has made,” Mafabi said.

Even with such developments, she cautioned that the mechanisms and structures will only be effective and efficient if government is equipped technically and logistically to combat human trafficking.

Government officials with be armed with knowledge to fight the vice.

ABA ROLI is a non-profit program founded on the belief that rule of law promotion is the most effective long-term antidote to the most pressing problems facing the world today.

Among the problems the program looks at are poverty, conflict, endemic corruption and disregard for human rights.

It implements legal reform programs in over 50 countries in Africa, Asia, Europe and Eurasia, Latin America and the Caribbean, and the Middle East and North Africa.