KIGALI, July 23 — A total of 289 Rwandan victims of human trafficking were rescued and repatriated back home between July last year and March this year from various countries, a senior government official said Thursday.
Appearing before the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs, National Unity and Security in the capital Kigali, Rwandan Minister of Justice Emmanuel Ugirashebuja said the victims were rescued mainly from Asian countries.
Of the total, 101 were repatriated from Cambodia, 58 from Laos, 31 from Myanmar, and 99 from Oman, he said. He was in parliament to brief lawmakers on the implementation of international instruments Rwanda has signed in line with combating human trafficking.
He said many of the victims, particularly young people, were lured with bogus job promises made by alleged recruiters, only to end up being exploited.
The minister also highlighted various mechanisms the government has put in place to curb human trafficking in the country, including enacting enabling legislation, building capacity at various levels and stepping up awareness of the crime of human trafficking.(Namibia Daily News / Xinhua)
