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.
That sounds like good news. But the report also warns that this may simply be because our digital economy is still young, not because we are safe. As more people shop, bank and pay online, criminals will follow.We Batswana do not need a report to tell us that danger is real. Many of us have heard of or fallen victim to KYC scams. A caller impersonates your bank or mobile money provider. They say they need to “verify” your account. They ask...