BY DELISA THWALA
MBABANE– January is Human Trafficking Prevention Month and Eswatini will commemorate it in a unique way.
On January 26, 2023, at Endibanweni the American Corner at the Mbabane Library at 12 pm for the screening of Lisa Kristine’s TED Talk on Photos that Bear Witness to Modern Slavery which will later be followed by a discussion.
This was announced through the American Corner social media pages that have since attracted over 500 people. A number of people have also explained that greater strides had to be taken to ensure that human trafficking is over and done with.
Melissa Boursone who is a leading Human trafficking advocate said, the act of Human Trafficking deprives millions of people worldwide of dignity and their freedom.
“We can all work together to stop traffickers and prevent this crime. There is so much we can do to make sure this comes to an end,” she said.
She further mentioned that she wanted to be part of the discussions and the screening of the movie.
Meanwhile, the government in Eswatini has demonstrated overall increasing efforts compared to the previous reporting period, considering the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on its anti-trafficking capacity; therefore Eswatini remained on Tier 2.
These efforts included investigating and prosecuting suspected traffickers, convicting an official for sex trafficking, and sentencing him to a 55-year prison term.
In addition, the government identified trafficking victims, referred them to care, and allocated funding for victim services.
However, the government did not meet the minimum standards in several key areas. The government did not have adequate shelter facilities or guidelines to ensure the quality of care for trafficking victims, and officials demonstrated an inconsistent understanding of victim protection, at times further traumatizing victims.
Worth noting was that this did not deter the government, as they maintained anti-trafficking law enforcement efforts.
The 2009 People Trafficking and People Smuggling (Prohibition) Act criminalized sex trafficking and labour trafficking and prescribed penalties of up to 20 years imprisonment for offenses involving an adult victim, and up to 25 years imprisonment for those involving a child victim.
These penalties were sufficiently stringent and with regard to sex trafficking, commensurate with those prescribed for other serious crimes, such as rape.
The Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Act prescribed penalties of up to 20 years imprisonment, a fine of up to E100 000 for the commercial sexual exploitation of an adult, and up to 25 years imprisonment with no option of a fine if the offense involved a child.
