The Government has roped in the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) to facilitate the repatriation of over 20 Zimbabweans who are believed to be stranded in Sierra Leone.
This development comes as the Government intensifies efforts to regulate recruitment agencies and raise public awareness about the dangers of human trafficking.
They were lured to the West African nation with false promises of lucrative job opportunities by a human trafficking syndicate that involved a foreign entity and a local company.
Two survivors of a human trafficking syndicate returned to Zimbabwe last week and were placed in protective custody by Government officials.
During their debriefing, they revealed that several other victims were still stranded in Sierra Leone.
Writing in his weekly column in our sister paper The Sunday Mail yesterday, Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare Minister July Moyo said the Government was now working to facilitate the repatriation of the victims.
"Right now, we have a situation in Sierra Leone, where our people were recruited there and they are being abused," Minister Moyo said. "While some have returned home, we still have others who are still out there. We also had a similar case in Kuwait, and we are working with the IOM to repatriate our citizens."
He also revealed that Zimbabwe will soon sign an agreement with Middle East countries to curb human trafficking cases.
"Countries like Ethiopia and Kenya now have agreements with Middle East countries to deal with these cases and we are looking at those agreements to see whether we can extend them to Southern Africa and to Zimbabwe in particular."
Zimbabwe has not been immune to cases of human trafficking involving people seeking employment in foreign countries outside the guidelines of proper migration.
While migration is beneficial, Minister Moyo said it also presented human trafficking challenges. However, the Government was implementing a raft of measures to curb the scourge.
"The Government has prioritised educating citizens on the risks of irregular migration and the importance of using reputable recruitment agencies. Efforts are underway to regulate recruitment agencies and raise public awareness to prevent exploitation. Collaborations with international organisations like the IOM have facilitated the repatriation of trafficking victims and enhanced measures to combat such incidents."
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In addition to the two survivors who met with Government officials, seven more Zimbabweans reportedly returned home last month. It is alleged that up to 40 people may have fallen victim to human trafficking in Sierra Leone.
