The officers were trained on Monday on the basic information, education, and communication materials that can be used to sensitize the public, especially in the prevention, protection, and partnership with other stakeholders engaged in minimizing human trafficking cases and raising awareness.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs
has trained police and local leaders to prevent the trafficking of persons in the
Karamoja sub-region.
The training targeted the police officers in the CID, DPCs, Community Liaison Officers, Crime Intelligence, and RPC while the district officials comprised Probation officers, Community development officers, religious leaders, and media.
They were trained on Monday on the basic
information, education, and communication materials that can be used to sensitize
the public, especially in the prevention, protection, and partnership with
other stakeholders engaged in minimizing human trafficking cases and raising
awareness.
Local leaders, partners, police, and
religious leaders were equipped with strategies for the prevention of trafficking
in persons and informed about migration practices.
Memory Rukuna, the community liaison officer for the coordination
office of prevention and trafficking in persons at the Ministry of Internal Affairs
said that they have enhanced the understanding among the leaders and other
key actors on how to identify, protect, and make referrals of victims of trafficking
while applying the National Referral Guidelines in the prevention of trafficking
in person.
Rukuna noted that they have also strengthened and synchronized
referral guidelines in the prevention of trafficking in persons, and promoted mechanisms
for the empowerment and protection of potential victims of trafficking.
He observed that Karamoja has been a hot spot of trafficking
in persons and they thought it wise to equip the officers with the skills on
how to prevent the vice.
Rukuna said that they have informed the officers about the
laws and policies present in Uganda so they can use them for prosecutions. He noted
that the officers have been ignoring some of the policies that are crucial in
the fight against vice. He explained that fighting human trafficking can be
done through prevention, prosecution, and protection.
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Patrick Odongo, the Mt Moroto regional community liaison
officer said that the training is very important because it has enabled them to
understand the basics of child labour.
Odongo said that they are ready to implement the skills
acquired as far as fighting human trafficking is concerned. He noted that child
trafficking remains the biggest challenge in the region that they are working
hard to get rid of.
Odongo urged that the pieces of training continue to keep
them refreshed and be able to deal with the modern techniques of trafficking.
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As of Sunday, Police in the Nakapiripirit district rescued
22 children from the hands of traffickers who were transporting them outside
Karamoja.
