Enforcement of human trafficking laws: Implications for gender and labour externalization in Uganda.

Abstract

The increased desire by the youth to seek employment opportunities outside Uganda has led to a steady rise in incidents of human trafficking. Indeed, transnational trafficking—a silent and often invisible activity—is by far the most frequent offence committed, largely involving female adults trafficked for labour and sexual exploitation. Evidence from Uganda Police Force shows that notwithstanding the rising incidents of human trafficking, prosecution of this particular criminal remains low. More so, conviction rates are also very low largely due to absence evidence on both perpetrators and victims—especially in cases involving transnational trafficking. This brief examines the progress in enforcing the law on the perpetrators of human trafficking in Uganda. To curb the vice, it recommends measures such as scaling-up sensitization on the Prevention of Trafficking in Persons Act, 2009, labour migration guidelines; enhancing capacity of security agencies to better handle human trafficking cases, and provision of victim services and survivor assistance.