Kenya risks United States sanctions over trafficking

Acting labour minister and Defence Cabinet Secretary (CS) Ambassador Raychelle Omamo speaking on 1st may 2015 at the Uhuru Park. This was during the Labour Day celebrations. [PHOTO/MBUGUA KIBERA/STANDARD]

Kenya risks being subjected to sanctions by United States for failing to comply with the Trafficking Victims Protection Act’s (TVPA) minimum standards.

The country has already been placed in a watch list of countries whose governments have not fully complied with the Act.

Speaking during the launch of National Plan of Action for combating trafficking, Cabinet Secretary for Defence Raychelle Omamo said if Kenya does not take action, it could drop to the third grade that will subject it to the sanctions.

The country is ranked at ‘Tier 2’,  which is the second last category. In this category, the number of victims of severe forms of trafficking is very significant or is significantly increasing, according to the US Trafficking in Persons Report 2014.

ADDRESS PROBLEM

Countries in Tier 2 are accused of failing to provide evidence of increasing efforts to combat severe forms of trafficking in persons from the previous year.

The Cabinet Secretary said the country will engage various departments through the National Plan of Action to ensure they address the problem.

“We are going to engage the police, Judiciary, children’s department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other stakeholders to help in fighting trafficking of persons in the country,” she said. Omamo said her ministry would ensure Kenya was not among countries that are not complying with international regulations on human trafficking.

“Our country has been named as the origin, transit and destination for human trafficking but that should never be the case,” she said.

The CS said women and children were the biggest victims of the vice and must be protected.