Zimbabwe’s gender rights activists, are on Wednesday staging a march in Harare, demanding an end to human trafficking.
This comes as an investigation revealed that hundreds of Zimbabwean women, have been smuggled and eventually turned into slaves and commercial sex workers in Kuwait.
The march movement includes top personalities the likes of Lynnette Mudehwe and Linda T Masarira, the Founder and National Coordinator for Zimbabwe Women in Politics Alliance.
“We feel let down and surprised at the slow pace at which the government of Zimbabwe is dealing with the trapped women in Kuwait after a period stretching about a month now, this is a case of misplaced priorities by the government,” said Linda Masarira.
She continued stating: “it is every government’s responsibility to ensure that their citizens are safe regardless of their geographical position worldwide. We also condemn the continual processing of travelling documents to unsuspecting women by the Ministry of Home Affairs and also to that effect, we don’t see any reason why these bogus employment agencies can still be left operating ,they must be immediately banned.”
The unedited petition by the Zimbabwe Women in Politics Alliance to the Kuwait embassy read: WE THE UNDERSIGNED, being members of the Zimbabwe Women in Politics Alliance including other civic society organizations and concerned Zimbabweans are:
Concerned about the trafficking of Zimbabwean women to Kuwait in the pretext that they will get jobs, which apparently is not the case.
Disturbed by the involvement of Kuwaiti officials and bogus agents in the trafficking of Zimbabwean women
Touched by the sexual harassment and enslavement of desperate Zimbabwean women being trafficked to Kuwait
Alarmed at the silence of the Kuwaiti embassy on the issue
Worried about the situation of some Zimbabwean women stuck in Kuwaiti
And petitioning for the safe return of the victims to their homeland; make the following demands;
That the Kuwait Embassy must play an active role in ensuring the safe return of the Zimbabwean women
The Kuwait Embassy must issue a public statement to clear the air on the trafficking of Zimbabwean women by its Embassy officials and other bogus agents
The embassy of Kuwait should ensure that its visa issuance system matches with best practice and they consider the safety of applicants first lest they expose desperate Zimbabwean women to bogus individuals masquerading as employers
Necessary steps are taken to ensure perpetrators are brought to book and that there is justice for victims.
We therefore append our signatures to this petition in solidarity with the victims of human trafficking.