Human trafficking in Zambia: Difference between revisions
From Chalo Chatu, Zambia online encyclopedia
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==Protection== | ==Protection== | ||
The government's efforts to protect victims of trafficking are extremely limited. While there are no formal victim identification or referral procedures in Zambia, government officials informally referred victims of trafficking to IOM, which provided shelter and case management. During 2007, police and immigration authorities referred four trafficking victims—two Congolese and two Zambian—to IOM for assistance. In 2007, the government allocated $184,000 to the [[Ministry of Labor and Social Security (Zambia)|Ministry of Labor and Social Security]]'s [[Child Labor Unit]], a 23 percent increase over its 2006 budget. During 2007, the Ministry's [[Labor Inspections Unit]] undertook targeted inspections of child labor in [[Eastern Province, Zambia|Eastern]], [[Central Province, Zambia|Central]], and [[Lusaka Province]]s. Some child victims of forced labor were referred to NGOs for assistance or enrolled in school feeding programs. The government encourages victims' assistance in the investigation and prosecution of traffickers. Identified victims were not detained or jailed for unlawful acts committed as a direct result of being trafficked.<ref name=dos/> | The government's efforts to protect victims of trafficking are extremely limited. While there are no formal victim identification or referral procedures in Zambia, government officials informally referred victims of trafficking to IOM, which provided shelter and case management. During 2007, police and immigration authorities referred four trafficking victims—two Congolese and two Zambian—to IOM for assistance. In 2007, the government allocated $184,000 to the [[Ministry of Labor and Social Security (Zambia)|Ministry of Labor and Social Security]]'s [[Child Labor Unit]], a 23 percent increase over its 2006 budget. During 2007, the Ministry's [[Labor Inspections Unit]] undertook targeted inspections of child labor in [[Eastern Province, Zambia|Eastern]], [[Central Province, Zambia|Central]], and [[Lusaka Province]]s. Some child victims of forced labor were referred to NGOs for assistance or enrolled in school feeding programs. The government encourages victims' assistance in the investigation and prosecution of traffickers. Identified victims were not detained or jailed for unlawful acts committed as a direct result of being trafficked.<ref name=dos/> | ||
==Prevention== | |||
While Zambia lacks a comprehensive public awareness campaign on human trafficking, the government sustained efforts to prevent vulnerable children from being trafficked during 2007. It continued operation of two youth camps that provided counseling, rehabilitation, and enrolment in schools or vocational training to street children vulnerable to trafficking, including girls removed from prostitution; 210 children graduated from the camps in 2007. Immigration and law enforcement officials at border posts distributed IOM-produced literature on trafficking to local communities and the government-owned radio station broadcast anti-trafficking messages. The government worked with NGOs on an ongoing basis to publicize the dangers of prostitution through radio announcements and the distribution of pamphlets and posters. With the support of ILO/ IPEC, the Child Labor Unit formed seven District Child Labor Committees, composed of traditional chiefs, parents, health workers, and religious leaders to increase awareness of child labor laws and the worst forms of child labor. These committees provided information on exploitative child labor to 8,600 persons during the year. Standardized training in police and military academies includes a module that addresses reducing the demand for commercial sex acts as well as the dangers of commercial sexual exploitation.<ref name=dos/> | |||
