Zorena Jantze
THE Namibian Police has reported a human trafficking case that involves about 26 young Namibian women aged between 27 and 40 who have left the country allegedly in pursuit of greener pastures in Oman.
Nampol spokesperson Deputy Commissioner Kauna Shikwambi shared that current intelligence suggests that these women engaged a facilitator here in Namibia who lured them into accepting job offers abroad.
“Trips to this country including work visas can cost up to N$40 000 which is mostly covered by the facilitators but to be paid back once employed on the other side.
“Disappointingly, upon arrival the promised salary, as well as living and working conditions, are normally not as promised, causing disputes between the employee and the employer.
“Employees are however not allowed to come back until they pay back. Victims are then forced into exploitative and even life-threatening situations,” Shikwambi shared.
According to police statistics, from April 2010 to March 2022 a total of 77 cases of human trafficking were reported.
Of these, 28 cases are under investigation while 26 cases were finalized.
In addition, 17 cases are still on the court roll, and six cases are pending the Prosecutor-General’s decision
“We’re concerned about these unfortunate developments in our society and we cannot allow our women to be lured into these supposed lucrative criminal industries. Hence we appeal to the public to report all suspicious incidents of this nature to the nearest police station,” Shikwambi concluded.
