Last Updated on: 24th April 2023, 10:31 pm
Masaka, April 24, 2023: According to the U.S. Department of State’s 2021 Trafficking in Persons Report on Uganda, it revealed that the government of Uganda does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking but is making significant efforts to do so.
These efforts, the Department said included identifying more victims and signing the National Referral Guidelines for Management of Victims of Trafficking in Uganda (NRG).
“The government increased prosecutions of suspected traffickers and increased training to law enforcement personnel, investigated allegations of complicity in trafficking crimes, and created human trafficking officer positions within the Ugandan Police Force (UPF) and the Criminal Investigative Department (CID),” added the report.
In an effort aimed at achieving the above, a group of 26 police officers have, according to Uganda Police, commenced a 10-day training program on Anti-Human Trafficking/SGBV and the management of issues related to surveillance in trafficking in persons and smuggling of migrants.
The training is being conducted in Masaka City, with the primary objective to bolster the capacity of the Uganda Police Force to effectively respond to cases of Trafficking in Persons and Sexual and Gender-Based Violence.
In 2020, the government reported investigating 214 incidents of human trafficking involving 154 suspects; of these incidents, 118 were internal, 93 transnational, and three were unknown. This was a decrease compared with investigating 252 incidents (19 internal and 222 transnationals) in 2019 – says U.S. Department of State, 2021 Report.
During the reporting period, according to the same report, the government prosecuted 283 defendants for trafficking crimes in 202 cases; of these, 161 cases were domestic and 41 transnational.
Read more here. Trafficking in persons report for Uganda.
“The training is organized by Directorate of Human Resource Development and Training in partnership with Sentinel Foundation from the United States of America and Okoa Refugee,” Police said in a statement via Twitter, Monday.
“While officially opening the training, the RPC Greater Masaka, SSP Wandela Jamada encouraged participants to take it seriously, emphasizing the importance of sharing the skills they gain with the Uganda Police Force and the public.”
Dr Kayongo Aisha, who represented the Director Human Rights Directorate, reiterated the Police’s commitment to regularly up-skill its officers through continuous training and refresher courses.