SIX PEOPLE TRAFFICKED IN PAST TWO YEARS

MBABANE – About six people have been reported to have been trafficked within the country’s borders in the past two years.

Additionally, 31 others were smuggled into the country during the period 2019-2021. This was revealed by the Acting Prime Minister, Themba Masuku, yesterday during the launch of the Awareness Campaign and Refresher Training on Trafficking in Persons held at Nkonyeni Golf Estate. Masuku said currently, the country had one adult and one child, who were both victims of domestic trafficking. The acting PM highlighted that emaSwati girls, orphans in particular, were trafficked internally for commercial sexual exploitation and domestic servitude within the Mbabane-Manzini corridor, as well as to neighbouring countries. He said this also applied to emaSwati boys, who were trafficked mainly for forced labour in commercial agriculture and market vending.

Masuku said studies showed that human trafficking remained the biggest threat to developing countries, the Kingdom of Eswatini included, as people continued to be trafficked, often times unaware, for various purposes.
“According to the 2020 Global Report on Trafficking in Persons, approximately 49 million people are trafficked around the world. These statistics, however, may not be a true reflection of the situation on the ground, as many cases of human trafficking remain unreported,” said Masuku. The acting premier said this non-disclosure, therefore, called for more robust action from all to pave way for all countries to overcome the scourge of human trafficking.

He submitted that in terms of the United States Department Trafficking in Persons Report 2019 (US-TIP Report), the Kingdom of Eswatini was a country of source, destination and transit for women and children trafficked internally and trans-nationally for the purposes of commercial sexual exploitation, domestic servitude and forced labour in agriculture. He said it was important to mention that even during the COVID-19 era; government had continued to identify trafficked and smuggled victims, even though there was minimal movement of people. Also present during the event were representatives from the United States Embassy and UNDP Resident Co-ordinator Nathalie Ndongo-Seh.

Masuku said from the findings, it was clear that government needed to intensify efforts towards combating people trafficking in the kingdom. “I am happy that Eswatini has been recognised for demonstrating overall increased efforts compared to the previous reporting period in the 2020 Trafficking in Persons Report; and thus being placed on Tier 2,” he said.

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