NHRC Statement International Day Against Trafficking in Person

ery year across the globe, thousands of women, men and children become victims of human trafficking. According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), human trafficking is the “recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of people through force, fraud or deception, with the aim of exploiting them for profit.” On International Day Against Trafficking in Persons, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) calls on the Government of The Gambia to strengthen its efforts to curb human trafficking, listen to and prioritize the fundamental needs of survivors, and put in place robust recovery, rehabilitation and reintegration programs . The theme for this year’s commemoration is “Victims’ Voices Lead the Way”.

During one of its monitoring visits to migrant detention facilities this year, the NHRC found more than 40 migrants who were being trafficked to Italy through The Gambia. In October 2019, NHRC also investigated the case of Twenty-nine (29) alleged victims/survivors of trafficking from Lebanon. Key findings of this investigation showed that these women were trafficked through an established system set up both in The Gambia and in Lebanon which promised the young women good jobs but ended up in subjecting them to inhuman and degrading treatment. These cases demonstrate that human trafficking is indeed happening in The Gambia and highlights the need urgent State action to address the phenomenon The Commission presented key recommendations following the investigation of the Lebanon case, some of which the Government, through NAATIP, acted on. However, to effectively curb human trafficking in The Gambia, the Government should

English | July 30, 2021