Trafficking victims rescued
The Civil Aviation Authority, Entebbe on Tuesday 25th September, 2018 rescued a group of twenty nine girls and one boy from being trafficked to Oman, Dubai and Abu Dhabi through Entebbe International Airport (EIA).
The Airport Aviation Security (AVSEC) with the help of the airline operators of Fly Dubai intercepted the group during the check in process at 7.00pm. The group that was being trafficked was handed over to the Aviation police in Entebbe for conclusion of investigations.
Many of the girls claimed that they were heading to various destinations through connections with their close relatives working in the Middle East. Each of the girls used private means to the airport and were destined to the same country. The racket secretly processed the passport and visas to lure the group with promises of lucrative pay in the Middle East.
The OC Criminal Investigation Department (CID), Detective AIP Norah Amito said that the girls are between the age of 20 to 30 years from the districts of Buikwe, Jinja, Isingiro, Kampala, Kamuli, Kayunga, Luwero, Lwengo Masaka, Nakaseke, Rakai, and Wakiso and had been sent e-tickets and visas on what’s App to work as domestic workers.
“At 7.00pm we received a call from Aviation Security that a total of twenty nine girls and one boy had been stopped from flying to some Middle East countries for work because they didn’t have the necessary documents authorizing them to travel for work apart from their tickets, visa and passports.  The check in agents for Fly Dubai FZ618 alerted the supervisor at immigration who cross checked the travel details of the girls and found them lackingâ€, she said.
“We have apprehended and recorded statements from the group and we have crucial leads to establish human traffickers involved in the syndicate.  All those apprehended were headed to the same country. The names of the culprits cannot be disclosed pending police investigationsâ€, Amito added.
The group was scheduled to be transported to the Immigration Headquarters in Kampala on Wednesday for counseling before letting them travel back to their homes.
The Ministry of Gender Labour and Social Development has put stringent measures to ensure that Ugandans traveling abroad for work are not subjected to slave labour conditions in the disguise of being promised better paying jobs.
Uganda and Kenya have entered an agreement to work towards harmonizing the legal regimes of the two countries as a way of putting up a joint fight against human trafficking. The agreement was reached on July 31 during a meeting at Lwakhakha border in Namisindwa District in Uganda.
Several Ugandan girls and women believed to be victims of human trafficking, have since the start of this year been rescued or arrested by Kenyan authorities on their way to Middle East countries.
Two weeks ago, a total of 52 Ugandan suspected victims of trafficking were rescued in Busia, Malaba and at the Jomo Kenyata International Airport and handed over to the Ugandan authorities.
