nngu007
JF-Expert Member
- Aug 2, 2010
- 15,862
- 5,797
|
| SECTION of over 50 alleged illegal immigrants from Pakistan, Nepal na Bangladesh board prisons bus to Keko remand. They had been in immigration custody at the departments headquarters in Dar es Salaam over alleged illegal entry and stay in the country. Immigration officials had found and arrested them at various points along a street in Kariakoo area in the city, hiding in a house allegedly for a pay of US 10,000 dollars per month. (Photo by Fadhili Akida) |
EDITOR, 12th November 2011 @ 15:00,
There was a shocking revelation on Friday that immigration officials in Rukwa region had apprehended a large number of alleged illegal immigrants with 44 children in their tow. What is even more shocking is the fact that the children are not related to the adults.
The fact that most of the children were girls smacks of human trafficking or even something worse. It is the child trafficking aspect that has nettled our souls. Recently, Zanzibar banned suspected criminal elements who were shipping boys and girls abroad.
Human trafficking which is a business that sees humans selling fellow humans into slavery, must be gaining ground in this nation. Something must be done before the problem gets out of control.
In the Rukwa incident, about 17 adult immigrants who were discovered to have sneaked out of Nyarugusu Refugee Camp confessed they had no blood relations with the children in their company. Another group of 19 adult illegal immigrants which hailed from the Democratic Republic of Congo had 14 children young girls.
Preliminary investigation shows that the immigrants were heading for a second country via Tanzania. Earlier, another group of 23 adults and 20 children from Burundi was arrested and repatriated.
What is worrisome is that the adult fugitives in this group alleged that the children were looking for their fathers. This assertion is highly suspect. It is now believed that some of the children could be hailing from Tanzanian families.
Victims of human trafficking face atrocities one might never imagine. After being promised that good jobs were available abroad most of them end up in slavery. Some of them are delivered to buyers who need cheap domestic workers while others are sold to brothel owners.
Children aged less than 12 years, especially girls, are usually the most expensive because they can easily be controlled. Some traffickers have a steady relationship in place with the slaveholder; hence, they know who the buyer will be before they recruit or steal the child.
The slaveholder acts swiftly to take complete control of the childs life. Passports, national identity cards and any other documents of citizenship are stripped from the victims possession.
The child is kept closely guarded and locked in a room when not accompanied. Traffickers also ship fellow adults especially women and sell them into slavery. Adults are usually less expensive because they are difficult to handle.
It is on record that some adult victims of trafficking struggled vigorously back to freedom. Some killed their captors. Parents and guardians should know that some victims are abducted or deceived into accepting false promises.
In countries such as Thailand, poverty militating, some parents sell their own children into slavery and servitude. This should never happen in this country. Parents should be aware that children sold into slavery can also be turned over to brothel owners, forced labour or the removal of organs.
Now, the last item here should shock even the hardest hearts. But this is not the end of the story. Some victims of human trafficking have been killed in so-called human sacrifices to placate angry gods by superstitious elements whose activities are akin to those of demons. So, never hand your son or daughter to human traffickers.
