BUJUMBURA, August 7th (ABP) – The Prime Minister of the Government of the Republic of Burundi, Mr. Gervais Ndirakobuca, honored with his presence, on Monday, August 5, 2024, the ceremonies marking the celebration of the international Day against trafficking in human beings, organized by the consultation and monitoring commission on the prevention and suppression of human trafficking (CCSPRTP) under the theme: “No leaving any child behind in the fight against human trafficking.”
In his speech, Mr. Ndirakobuca said that trafficking in persons, and more particularly in children, is a crime that can be described as an accentuated criminality that deprives children of the right to preserve their identity, the right to education, health care, rest, leisure and the right not to be subject to degrading punishment or treatment. For him, it is a multifaceted and complex phenomenon that continues to spread and evolve within and across borders; it is truly global. He indicated that according to reports from some international organizations such as IOM, the number of children who continue to fall into the hands of traffickers remains high, largely because of inequitable social, economic, environmental and political factors that foster practices of exploitation and discrimination.
According to the IOM 2023 report, nearly half of child victims of trafficking are destined for forced labor (mainly boys), in a wide range of sectors, such as domestic work, begging and agriculture.
According to the Head of Government, in Burundi, this phenomenon is also a reality, exacerbated by the recurring climate emergencies affecting the country, in particular sudden disasters such as floods and landslides that lead to displacement, and consequently, pandemics and economic difficulties.
In addition, the proliferation of online platforms poses additional risks, as children often connect to these sites without adequate protection and this encourages them to expose themselves to all forms of exploitation. To effectively combat child trafficking, there is a need for up-to-date and reliable data to empirically anchor policies and programs, he stressed. He pointed out that currently, usable data is limited and child victims are generally difficult to reach through traditional surveys, for various reasons.
To that end, according to Mr. Ndirakobuca, it is desirable that research be carried out on human trafficking in Burundi, which highlights all the data on trafficking in all its forms. This research would allow the government of Burundi to know the vulnerabilities and trends of trafficking in general and that of children in particular.
The celebration of the international Day against trafficking in persons comes at a time when Burundi has just been declared by the US State Department to maintain for the 3rd time Tier 2 in the fight against trafficking in persons. The government has reached this level thanks to the efforts made by both the government and the various partners including some local non-governmental organizations, the Prime Minister said.
The combination of efforts should allow, for him, Burundi to reach Tier 1 in such a short time since the government is so committed to the elimination of this crime and the actions undertaken must find a favorable end. To achieve this, he insisted, different national and international partners must pool their actions, under the coordination of the government through the commission set up for this purpose, in order to find adequate responses adapted to the context of Burundi and to the complex individual, community and societal factors that affect children and other vulnerable people. He took the opportunity to make a strong appeal to both national and international partners to redouble their efforts for the effective implementation of the national action plan to combat human trafficking (PAN2023-2027) which was designed and developed with their support and collaboration. The fight against human trafficking is not an individual matter, but a collective matter. Everyone must contribute directly or indirectly, financially or in actions planned by the government, so that Burundi joins the whole world in the fight against this scourge.