26 June 2009
Windhoek — Namibia is a source, transit, and destination country for children trafficked for the purposes of forced labour and commercial sexual exploitation, according to the ninth annual Department of State Trafficking in Persons Report released last week.
This 175-country report is the most comprehensive worldwide report on the efforts of governments to combat severe forms of trafficking in persons, a modern-day form of slavery. Its findings are intended to raise global awareness and spur countries to take effective actions to counter trafficking in persons. The assessment includes narratives on 173 countries determined to have victims of severe forms of human trafficking and two designated as special cases.
Namibian children are trafficked within the country for domestic servitude and forced agricultural labour, cattle herding, vending, and commercial sexual exploitation, the report says.
In some cases, Namibian parents may have unwittingly sold their children into trafficking conditions, including child prostitution. There have been reports of Namibian children being trafficked to South Africa, typically by truck drivers, for the purpose of sexual exploitation. Zambian and Angolan children are trafficked to Namibia for domestic servitude, agricultural labour, and livestock herding.
There is evidence that a West African labour trafficking syndicate transports West African adults through Namibia to Angola to work under false pretences.
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2009 Namibia Economist. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
