‘Guard against child trafficking’

COMMUNITIES and Government institutions must coordinate efforts to reduce the increasing cases of child trafficking in Zambia and Africa in general, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) has said.

IOM Chief Mission for Zambia, Nomagugu Ncube, said communities should be explaining the effects of child trafficking on individual families.

She said Government, on the other hand, must also encourage parents to send their children to school instead of sending them to beg in the streets or to sell as street vendors.

Ms Ncube was speaking in Kitwe during the empowerment of Children in Need of Protection assistance where nine families were give assorted goods to start their business.

This is aimed at reducing the vulnerability of families.

She said poverty and vulnerability had contributed to the rising cases of child trafficking and so it was important that people in various communities were empowered to reduce vulnerability.

“The child traffickers have taken advantage of poverty and vulnerability in communities and they come with very deceptive tactics to attract these young people to be trafficked. When they are trafficked into other countries, the story changes and they are used for all sorts if evil things.

“So communities and government must be alert and ensure that they explain to various families that they have to be careful with child traffickers who come promising education, employment and good life. Families also need to be empowered to reduce their vulnerability hence our decision to support these families today,” Ms Ncube said.

And Kitwe District Commissioner (DC), Chileshe Bweupe, said child trafficking should not be entertained in Zambia because it destroys family values.