Human Trafficking: Burundi Labour recruitment agencies suspended until further notice
RegionWeek Newsletter Vol IV, Issue #151 | Tuesday, January 26, 2021
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Dear Readers,
This Tuesday, the Burundi Ministry of Public Service has struck off "Culinary Training Agency Burundi" a Burundian company with headquarters used as a stash for human trafficking. 101 women victims were released by the police in December 2020.
“Culinary training agency Burundi (CTAB), a private employment agency, is deregistered. All other agencies, offices, or private employment services are suspended until further notice " reads the statement.
The decision follows a recommendation from the cabinet meeting that ordered the immediate suspension and prosecution of recruitment agencies linked to Gulf countries. It was discovered that there are private companies registered in Burundi that collaborate with recruitment houses in Arab countries to help Burundian women and girls to obtain employment contracts.
The final destination of these women is the Gulf countries such as Saudi Arabia, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen where they arrive after transits in Tanzania or Kenya. Once they arrive in these countries, these women and girls are treated like slaves.
Following reports of inhuman and degrading treatment, slavery, and other abuse of these women, Burundi Government decided that labor force placement work should not be left to the sole responsibility of private individuals. In the coming days, there are plans to establish structures to monitor opportunities for Burundians going to work abroad from the start of the recruitment process until they arrive in host countries.
In Burundi, human trafficking has been a reality for some time. The organizations involved in this field are struggling to document their efforts to eradicate the phenomenon. Burundi is a country of origin for victims of trafficking, according to the US 2020 Trafficking in Persons Report. Adults and children can be forced into forced labor, domestic servitude, prostitution, and other forms of sexual exploitation across the region and elsewhere in the world.
US 2020 Trafficking in Persons Report notes that Burundi’s 2014 anti-trafficking law criminalized sex trafficking and labor trafficking. The law prescribed penalties of five to 10 years’ imprisonment and a fine of 100,000 to 500,000 Burundian francs ($54 to $270), and in cases involving children, the law prescribed penalties of 10 to 15 years’ imprisonment and a fine of 500,000 to two million Burundian francs ($270 to $1,080). These penalties were sufficiently stringent and, with respect to sex trafficking, commensurate with those prescribed for other serious crimes, such as rape.
About Human trafficking
Human trafficking, otherwise known as modern slavery, involves the use of force, fraud, or coercion to obtain some type of labor or commercial sex act against the will of the person trafficked. Traffickers may use violence, manipulation, or false promises of well-paying jobs or romantic relationships to lure victims into being trafficked. Trafficking victims include men, women, and children of all ages, races, and nationalities.
Today, there are approximately 45.8 million people caught in the trap of modern slavery around the world. This includes 10 million children, 15.4 million people in forced marriage, and 4.8 million people in forced sexual exploitation. However, it is difficult to determine exact statistics because so many cases of human trafficking go undetected and unreported
IN THE REGION
A majority of people diagnosed with COVID-19 in Rwanda are being treated under home-based care, the Health Ministry said Monday as the country battles the latest surge in cases. According to ministry guidelines, COVID-19 patients treated at home are advised to isolate themselves and avoid any contact with the people they live with.“Out of more than 4,000 active COVID-19 cases in the country, 95% are receiving treatment at their homes. Only a few are admitted in different hospitals and other treatment centers,” said Health Minister Daniel Ngamije. (AA)
Tanzanian President John Magufuli on Monday announced amnesty to 1,789 Ethiopian illegal immigrants serving jail terms in the East African nation. Magufuli announced the amnesty at the end of talks with visiting Ethiopian President Sahle-Work Zewde held in Chato district in the Geita region. "The jailed Ethiopian illegal immigrants, some are serving up to seven-year terms, will be released without any conditions," Magufuli told a televised joint news conference. He said the Ethiopian illegal immigrants should go home and participate in nation-building. Magufuli said the two leaders agreed to revive the Joint Permanent Commission of Cooperation created in 2017 with a view to reviewing areas of cooperation so as to make them more vibrant. (XINHUA)
Thanks for Reading!
Fabrice Iranzi, Editor in Chief
RegionWeek.com
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