NGOs seek speedy adoption of anti-trafficking law
The country’s civil society groups have called on government agencies to speed up the adoption of the recently passed anti-human trafficking law to halt child trafficking and other abuses.
The call was made in Kasungu when the NGO Gender Network Committee (GCN) engaged stakeholders on the law passed last year by Parliament to curb trafficking of persons within and beyond the country’s borders.
GCN Sub-committee on Child Rights chairperson Lucky Mbewe said in an interview after the interface, lack of progress in dissemination and awareness since the enactment of the law last year has been disappointing.
“The first challenge is that most people even in crucial government departments mandated to operationalise the law such as Child Welfare Department are not conversant with the new law. How do we successfully implement the law in such an environment?,” quizzed Mbewe.
Eye of the Child executive director Maxwell Matewere said the onus was on the Ministry of Home Affairs to speed up the process of turning the law into an effective tool for protection of children.
“The general feeling is that despite this new law being passed, most of those suspected of violating it are still walking free because people in communities, civil society and government are not aware of the provisions of the new law,” he said.
The recent attacks on people with albinism and trade in human parts further rendered support for the law which also seeks to hamper both vices.
