The Chinese Embassy has introduced stringent visa procedures after the National Police broke up an alleged human trafficking ring. According to the Police, this ring would send young girls to Asia, with a promise of better employment, but they would instead end up as commercial sex workers. Human trafficking in Rwanda has been brought to light by the recent arrests. However, in the region and the rest of Africa, it is something that has featured prominently in the news.While there are multiple mechanisms to arrest traffickers, and countries continuously adjusting their entry visa requirements, making it difficult for the victims to travel, more effort should be put into addressing the root causes.Most of the victims are youth who are easily lured by the promises of better pay, getting rich quick and fancy lifestyles. This would not be the case if they had reasonable standards of living and a future to look forward to in their home countries.Rwanda has vigorously embarked on policies designed to empower youth economically. However, for these policies to bear fruit, there is need for collective effort from parents, teachers, and leaders to continuously teach the youth to work hard and encourage them to stay focused.With a bright future to look forward to, it will be a challenge for human traffickers to lure victims.
