The UN, with Support from the USA, Hands Over a Refurbished Shelter for Victims of Trafficking in Eswatini

On the 17th of September 2021, the United Nations, under the guidance of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), and with support from the United States of America, handed over a refurbished shelter for Victims of Human Trafficking to the Government of Eswatini.

The Honorable Prime Minister, Mr Cleopas Dlamini, received the keys to the shelter in a ceremony at the Honourable Prime Minister’s Office. The shelter will provide a safe house for Victims of Trafficking, where they will have their cases recorded and ultimately, be empowered to return home. "We must make every effort, with ambition and dedication, to protect persons who are vulnerable to human trafficking, especially children, young people, migrants and refugees,” stated Mr Dlamini.

Annually, an estimated 600,000 to 800,000 men, women, and children are trafficked across international borders, and this number is growing. According to the 2020 UNODC Global Report on Trafficking in Persons; globally, most victims are trafficked for the purpose of sexual exploitation, followed by forced labour.

Each year, Eswatini loses EmaSwati to human trafficking, oftentimes to neighboring countries South Africa and Mozambique. Between 2016 and 2018, 50 cases of Human Trafficking were reported in the Kingdom of Eswatini, with many more anticipated. More often, women and girls are the targets with the promises of better education and decent work across the borders.

The United Nations Resident Coordinator, Ms. Nathalie Ndongo-Seh, stated that; “The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically increased the vulnerability of children, young people, migrants and refugees. Lockdown measures and restricted movements, economic downturns and school closures, have led to a loss of livelihoods for many informal workers and worsened health conditions, particularly for migrant workers. They also made our children more vulnerable than ever before,”

“In those challenging and desperate times, people are in need of protection, which begins with the assurance of access to human right for all, including ‘access to adequate shelter’.”

Under the United Nations Sustainable Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) 2021-2025; the nation’s leading instrument to create a better future for all EmaSwati, Human Trafficking remains a national priority of utmost importance. The shelter proves a significant step in ending human trafficking in the Kingdom of Eswatini.

In closing the ceremony, the International Organization of Migration (IOM) Regional Director for Southern Africa, Mr Charles Kwenin, expressed his gratitude to the Government and the United States of America for their support in helping to end human trafficking in the Kingdom of Eswatini, noting the continuous need for solidarity in doing so, stating the great African proverb; “If you want to go fast, go alone: if you wan to go far, go together.”