ESPERATE Zimbabweans, fleeing the country’s economic challenges, are falling prey to human traffickers amid reports that locals have been lured to Myanmar.
According to the Centre for Human Trafficking (CHT), while the number of Zimbabwean victims remains unknown due to the discreet nature of the crime, the issue has become incremental recently.
Myanmar is a southeast Asian country where military forces allegedly target civilians with airstrikes, artillery bombardment and other forms of violence.
According to the United Nations Human Rights Council, the worsening situation since the military coup in 2021 has derailed Myanmar’s democratic transition and ignited widespread armed resistance.
The Zimbabwean diaspora consists of over 5 million people, residing in countries like South Africa, the United Kingdom, Australia and Canada, driven by economic and political challenges bedevilling the country.
The CHT said it had noted growing cases of human trafficking in the Kachin Independence Organisation-controlled areas, including Myanmar, where many Zimbabweans were trafficked and exploited.
“The centre condemns these human rights abuses by traffickers and urges Zimbabweans to exercise due diligence, especially for work opportunities flighted,” the organisation said.
“The centre is committed to the empowerment of victims to ensure that no one is re-trafficked and for reintegration, restoration and the rebuilding of livelihoods through its survivor empowerment model,” the statement read.”
