Story by John Nhandara
ZIMBABWE and the United Kingdom are strengthening cooperation to combat human trafficking and promote safe, orderly migration.
Under the renewed strategic partnership, the two countries, together with key stakeholders, will focus on enhancing border security management and building the capacity of law enforcement agencies to tackle human trafficking and other forms of transnational organised crime.
This emerged at the launch of the Zimbabwe-UK Migration Week held in Harare this Monday.
“We are helping to share information about how to stop human trafficking. On Thursday it is World Day Against Human Trafficking, so this is an opportunity to bring together the expertise of the UK and Zimbabwe frontline officials to really understand vulnerable people,” Acting British Ambassador to Zimbabwe Dr Jo Abbot said.
“We are working at the border points to identify people who might be vulnerable and also the chance to target exploiters. We build up a network of specialist officers at the border,” National Safeguarding lead-UK Border Force Amanda Read said.
On its part, Zimbabwe has already come up with a migration policy and an online border management system.
“We launched our migration policy, and it is now operational. We have also launched an online border management system which is ICT-driven at all our major entry points; it enables us to share information in real time with other border agencies internationally,” Permanent Secretary-Ministry of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage Ambassador Raphael Faranisi said.
The development comes at a time the global community will observe the World Day Against Trafficking in Persons on July 30, a day set aside to raise awareness on human trafficking and strengthen national frameworks on anti-trafficking and robust victim protection policies.
