DP wants government to open external labour recruiters
Oct 20, 2020
"This is going to open an opportunity for human trafficking. Many people are desperate to go work and support their families. Now that government is still closing the legal way of traveling abroad to work, many will offer themselves to be trafficked," said Okoler Opio Lo Amanu the party national spokesperson.
KAMPALA-Democratic Party (DP) has called on government to allow external labour recruiting companies resume their work to prevent human trafficking.
DP says as a result of the closure, many unemployed people and those whose capital was depleted by the circumstances cannot travel abroad to work.
"This is going to open an opportunity for human trafficking. Many people are desperate to go work and support their families. Now that government is still closing the legal way of traveling abroad to work, many will offer themselves to be trafficked," said Okoler Opio Lo Amanu the party national spokesperson.
Amanu made the remarks while addressing journalists during the party's weekly press briefing at City House in Kampala on Tuesday.
On March 20, 2020, the Ministry of Gender Labor and Social Development following the presidential directives on COVID-19 pandemic suspended the activities of Labor externalisation.
Before closure, the 207 registered recruitment companies in Uganda had taken 165,000 people to work in the Arab world with 65% working in Saudi Arabia and Jordan.
Amanu said as government contemplates reopening the labour externalization service it should establish a formidable strategy to prevent human smuggling.
He further demanded that a method to track Ugandans in their places of work in the Arab world be put in place by the government.
In the same press conference, Amanu warned all non-DP aspirants who are using party symbols the hoe and fist on their election posters to stop the act, branding it illegal.
"There is a new breed of candidates who are independent but are politically dependent on political institutions and their symbols for support," he said.
DP expressed dissatisfaction with the way EC funds for political parties are distributed, saying it should not be distributed on account of political strength or distribution in parliament.
"We believe that any party that has got representation in parliament should receive the money in equal percentage if it is to equally benefit all political parties," Amanu said.
He said for NRM to take the lion's share of the fund affects the participation of other political parties as they will have fewer resources due to the limited funding.