mbulelo smpofu
Harare Bureau
Government has roped in the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) to facilitate the repatriation of over 20 Zimbabweans who are believed to be stranded in Sierra Leone.
This development comes as Government intensifies efforts to regulate recruitment agencies and raise public awareness about the dangers of human trafficking.
The group allegedly fell victim to a human trafficking syndicate involving a local company and a foreign entity, which lured them to the West African country with false promises of lucrative job opportunities.
Two survivors of a human trafficking syndicate returned to Zimbabwe last week and were placed in protective custody by Government officials.
During their debriefing, they revealed that several other victims were still stranded in Sierra Leone.
Writing in his weekly column in our sister paper The Sunday Mail yesterday, Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare Minister July Moyo said Government was now working to facilitate the repatriation of the victims.
“Right now, we have a situation in Sierra Leone, where our people were recruited there and they are being abused,” Minister Moyo said.
“While some have returned home, we still have others who are still out there. We also had a similar case in Kuwait, and we are working with the IOM to repatriate our citizens.”
He also revealed that Zimbabwe will soon sign an agreement with middle east countries in order to curb human trafficking cases.
“Countries like Ethiopia and Kenya now have agreements with Middle East countries to deal with these cases and we are looking at those agreements to see whether we can extend them to Southern Africa and to Zimbabwe in particular.”
Zimbabwe has not been immune to cases of human trafficking involving people seeking employment in foreign countries outside the guidelines of proper migration.
While migration is beneficial, Minister Moyo said it also presents human trafficking challenges, however, he said, Government was implementing a raft of measures to curb the scourge.
“The Government has prioritised educating citizens on the risks of irregular migration and the importance of using reputable recruitment agencies.
“Efforts are underway to regulate recruitment agencies and raise public awareness to prevent exploitation. Collaborations with international organisations like the IOM have facilitated the repatriation of trafficking victims and enhanced measures to combat such incidents.”
In addition to the two survivors who met with Government officials, seven more Zimbabweans reportedly returned home last month.
It is alleged that up to 40 people may have fallen victim to human trafficking in Sierra Leone.
The Herald is in possession of flyers used to advertise jobs, targeting individuals aged 18 to 35, requiring a minimum of five Ordinary Level passes and a valid passport.
It is alleged that the employer provided the victims a one-way flight ticket, only to confiscate their passports upon arrival in Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone.
Further, it is alleged that some of the victims were forced into participating in online dating scams after each victim was provided with a laptop and instructed to create fake profiles using stolen photos of attractive individuals.
The scammers would then request cash, gift cards and encourage investments in crypto-currency schemes.
For all the services they provided, it is said they never got payment after being told the salaries would be deposited into their Zimbabwean accounts.
Sources say the group was deceived by a local company working in conjunction with another firm based in the West African country.
It is said the victims were promised jobs, some earning upwards of US$500, but upon arrival, they found themselves in a desperate situation.
Preliminary investigations indicate that the majority of the victims left the country on July 4 this year and they never received their salaries.
It is believed that trafficking is often facilitated by recruitment agencies, family members and intermediaries, who lure people with promises of lucrative jobs but trap them in domestic servitude and prostitution.
However, Government is now moving to strictly monitor recruitment agencies amid revelations that some are illegally operating in the country.
