HARGEISA, 3 February 2010 (Somalilandpress) – Ms. Fatima Sudi, Somaliland’s minister of Family Affairs and Social Development said the human trafficking in Somaliland has increased in recent months. In a press conference, the minister said the voluntary migration among young men & women has significantly decreased, but human trafficking is taking its place. Ms. Sudi pleaded with those who are involved to take action to stop it.
“This is something new to us but widely known in the war torn places. It is called human trafficking,” she said.
Ms. Sudi said the Ministry have been involved in finding solutions to end the illegal migration among the youth which they managed to get some positive achievements. She mentioned that human trafficking is now taking the role which is more dangerous and most of the people do not know about it.
“We thank [the] UN & NGOs who help us on finding solutions for the human trafficking. We extend special thanks to the government of Japan who funded IOM to assist us on the problem,” the minister said. “There are people who are experts on carrying out human trafficking activities. They trick people, they tell them there is a better place where they can go and get a better life, but at the end those tricked will be helpless and end up working as slaves.”
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To illustrate the situation in southern Somalia, Ms. Sudi relayed the story of some children who were taken outside the country and later used as human spare parts in other countries. Nothing similar happened in Somaliland but this is the beginning of such actions in the country.
Prevention Activities
The minister said that the government started some activities to cope with the problem.
“There will be a massive awareness campaign in the regions of Awdal, Hargeisa, Sahil, Togdheer and Baligubadle,” she said.
Ms. Sudi said big signboards will be placed in these areas so people can better understand the danger of human trafficking. The minister asked the media outlets to carry out this message of awareness since this problem is new to this society.
Somalilandpress.com
A sign on a responsible and civilized nation, addressing a pressing issue in a calm manner. Identify the problem, find resources to address and eventually overcome the situation.
Other places in the region, they either sponsor the situation, such as piracy, or just ignore it, and make up stories about Somaliland.
Somaliland is a proper nation, I hope the anarchy ravaged places in the region, will follow our example.
There seems to be a rise in the numbers of Somali refugees who come to Somaliland to corrupt our innocent youth promising them a life of luxury overseas. The story of the young women from SL who were taken to Syria and Libya and ended up in brothes are apalling and should stop.
Fatima calls our attention to this sober problem facing our community. Traffickers use different tactics including offering job opportunities, wealth and better life. Due to our loving abroad may result being victims of human trafficking. The use of mass media is the best way of reaching this information to our people. Hadaad tahriibijirtay is ilaali ha noqon dhibe laga faaiidaysto. Hadii kale waxaad ku danbayni brothels Syria iyo turkey.
Prevention is better than cure
Farhan (Oday)
Hargeisa, Somaliland
Somlianders have to be on guard not to fall victims of those mafioso and unscrupulous human traffickers from the South of Somalia. It is a common practice in the south. They steal children, try to persaude impressionable young people as well as trusting adults telling them that they will have better lives and opportunities and then sell them to brothels and to those rich westerns in need of human body parts. Can you imagine, what kind of world are we living in nowadays?
Use the mass media as Farhan suggested and post flyers in gathering place like cafe shops, hotels, restaurants, market place, sport fields, cars and so on, to waran people of the pitfalls of human trafficking.
ma imikaan soo toosnay…..Amazed that we are just touching this subject when we have already lost so many young people to the seas and in jails they do not deserve.. in Libya alone there are thousands, The Somalis in the South was called to take them back.. the issue then was well who is going to pay for their return flights.. my worry was how many young Somalilanders would end up in Somalia, a country they heard of but have not been part of as they are our younger generation. The government of Somaliland need to show their presence in Libya, Turkey and Greece, they need to see the conditions our loved ones live in, instead of travelling to western countries for their political gain… where are our young? why build a country with no young men and women?