Human trafficking case should be a wake up call
Friday, August 25, 2023 | 290 Views |
Despite increased efforts to combat human trafficking in Botswana, the country still averages over three cases of human trafficking annually as revealed by the Minister of Defence and Security, Kagiso Mmusi earlier this year. Mmusi told Ntlo ya Dikgosi in February that the Botswana Police Service (BPS) had recorded 16 cases of human trafficking in the last five years. “There were five cases reported in 2018, two in 2019, and six in 2020, one was recorded in 2021 and two in 2022,” he said at the time.
Currently, the police are investigating a possible human trafficking case involving 40 Ethiopian males aged between 10 and 35 years found in a cargo truck at Ngwasha gate near Nata village.
Yet, while this crisis ravages the communities, the administration is championing a major, resource-intensive legal reform and the establishment of a dedicated Constitutional Court. While the principle of strengthening constitutional justice is commendable, the timing is profoundly misplaced. When the President himself admits the government coffers are limited, every thebe and every moment of political capital must be directed towards the...