UGANDA: Association of Religious in Uganda Commemorate World Day Against Human Trafficking Despite Covid-19 Lockdown

Mary Lilly Driciru, MSMMC

Despite Covid-19 lockdown, the Association of Religious in Uganda (ARU) and Partners joined the rest of the world in commemorating world day against Trafficking in Persons (TIP).

“Much as Police is enforcing lock down regulations, traffickers are busy and flourishing. We need to observe the World Day Against Trafficking while following the Standard Operation Procedures (SOPs) with limited number that government stipulated,” ARU Committee Member for Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation (JPIC) noted.

The event was guided by the theme Care Against Human Trafficking, coined by Talitha Kum-Global Network of Catholic Sisters Against Human Trafficking and the organizing team mobilized 20 youth mainly support staffs for the sensitization program. This awareness creation program revealed that 40% of the participants were totally ignorant about trafficking in persons.

“We are not even aware about human trafficking and what it is all about,” a section of the participants confessed.

After the event, the youths resolved to remain part of the network and work hard to eliminate the vice through their own networks.

The World Day against Human Trafficking is an annual event observed world over, every July 30. According to United Nations, human trafficking is a crime that exploits women, children and men for numerous purposes including forced labour and sex. Since 2003 the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has collected information on about 225,000 victims of trafficking detected worldwide. Globally countries are detecting and reporting more victims and are convicting more traffickers.

According to US State Department, 2021 Trafficking in Persons Report, Uganda Tier 2 Watch list, “The Government of Uganda does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking but is making significant efforts to do so. These efforts included identifying more victims and signing the National Referral Guidelines for Management of Victims of Trafficking in Uganda (NRG).

Considering the identified gaps, ARU Network against Human Trafficking with John Paul II, Justice and Peace Centre JPIIJPC, Lay Apostolate and Justice and Peace Departments of Uganda Episcopal Conference advocate against this vice through prevention, rescue, and resettlement of the survivors. This has further been animated by sensitization through group and mass media. The team has been able to mitigate and rescue survivors locally and internationally. The networks have rescued over 20 victims in two years. About ten of the survivors have been resettled and trained with tailoring and agricultural skills.

This year’s event was curtain raised with a prayer session led by Bro Fred Ddumba BOSA who took the youth through selected Scriptural verses and interpretations. While Sr. Lydia Apili Bwor, LSMIG, the Secretary General, ARU/CICLSALU, led the youth to understand the realities of TIP. “Human trafficking is real, many Ugandans who were deceived to go for jobs abroad ended up sick and even death! We hear of human farm in Libya, where body organs are harvested for the benefit of the rich who must live and thrive at the expense of the poor. Why don’t you live and earn your living here?”

For practical reasons, this event was postponed from Friday, July 30, to Saturday, July 31. This was due to the fact that, Friday being a working day, the members thought it wise to postpone it to weekend. The programme was punctuated with an overview of Human Trafficking in Uganda, shared experiences, discussions, video screening, speeches, concluding prayer and lunch.