Catholic Information Service for Africa (Nairobi)
17 April 2009
Bamenda — The Catholic Church in Cameroon has formed a protection unit to rehabilitate trafficked children and guard the communities against the vice.
Archdiocese of Bamenda Justice and Peace Coordinator, Laura Naddin Ngwa says child trafficking is linked to slavery and decried the fact that in the recent past over 50 victims were identified in the North West with the enclaves of Boyo, Bui and Donga Mantung divisions which she named as major suppliers due to poverty.
"Human trafficking is opposed to gospel values and the Justice and Peace Commission has issued a red card to perpetrators," she said in remarks carried in the Cameroon Tribune. Among strategies the Archdiocese plans to combat the crime include prevention campaigns, protection with the creation of vigilante communities and reintegration through counseling and support to victims and survivors. The commission also moves in the community with Laura warming of jail terms for traffickers including parents who sell their children.
"Human trafficking is also a form of violence and parents were advised to love, protect and not traffic their children because to be human and respected is divine and to be sold or bought for exploitation purposes is evil," she said. She warned the community against promises of gold or sponsorship abroad because such promises often end in prostitution.
The Vicar General of the Bamenda Archdiocese, Mgr.Engelbert Kofon added that human trafficking is a terrible crime with children and women as targets of abuse.
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