Police to crackdown on human traffickers

Following the arrest of two people suspected to have been part of a ring trafficking girls to Asian countries for commercial sex, the national police has said it will be more vigilant to ensure that the vice is curtailed.

Wednesday, April 18, 2012
The girls who were rescued from the suspected human traffickers. The New Times / File.

Following the arrest of two people suspected to have been part of a ring trafficking girls to Asian countries for commercial sex, the national police has said it will be more vigilant to ensure that the vice is curtailed.According to police spokesperson, Supt Theos Badege, the force will mainly keep an eye on hoteliers who receive foreigners that allegedly come looking for women to recruit into the evil business. It has emerged that some foreigners come in hunt of commercial sex workers whom they later tempt to go abroad for the same practice.According to the police, the human tracking business is not common practice in the country."We have started thorough investigations to see if there are others who could be in this illegal business; and we suspect them to be holed up in some hotel…we are working with hoteliers on this,” Badege said.The police believes that through working with the hoteliers, the practice could be dealt with.Meanwhile, the two suspects, both residents of Nyamirambo, a Kigali City suburb, said they had no knowledge that the girls for whom they were procuring visas to China through Uganda, were going to be turned into commercial sex workers.Speaking on condition of anonymity, one of the victims testified that she had once been conned and taken to Swaziland after being promised a better job, but turned out they wanted to lure her into commercial sex.The girl said that the culprits mainly target girls without parents who would have made follow ups on them. The police urge the public to be vigilant of people who promise better opportunities abroad like jobs or education, because in the end they force them into inhumane activities akin to slavery.