Kenya battles rising child trafficking as 133 rescued

The government has rescued 133 children in suspected cases of trafficking over the past eight months, Labour Cabinet Secretary Alfred Mutua has revealed.

The Directorate of Children’s Services (DCS), under the Ministry of Labour, led the rescue efforts and continues to provide care and support for the victims.

The directorate manages the National Assistance Trust Fund for Victims of Trafficking and works with the Counter-Trafficking in Persons Advisory Committee.

“From July 2024 to the present, 133 victims have been rescued and assisted,” Mutua told the Senate’s National Cohesion, Equal Opportunity, and Regional Integration Committee.

The rescued children were set for travel overseas without a parent or legal guardian. Over the same period, 2,650 children’s travel requests were approved by the ministry.

Mutua’s statement follows a recent US report detailing the trafficking of Kenyan women and girls to brothels in the Middle East and Asia.

The 2024 Trafficking in Persons Report also highlights that traffickers are recruiting foreigners for sex work in Kenya, making the country a major human trafficking hub.

“Traffickers exploit women and children in sex trafficking, often facilitated by family members in informal settings and increasingly using online recruitment throughout Kenya, including extraterritorial sexual exploitation and abuse in Nairobi, Mombasa, and Kisumu,” the report states.

A civil society report submitted to the UN warns that human trafficking is on the rise in Kenya due to poverty, unemployment, and gaps in the legal system.

Mutua told the Senate committee, chaired by Marsabit Senator Mohamed Chute, that the DCS is actively involved in repatriating Kenyans trafficked to Myanmar.

The advisory committee provides recommendations on policies aimed at preventing human trafficking and assisting victims. It also oversees rehabilitative programs for survivors.

Mutua further disclosed that 120,909 cases of violence against children were reported in DCS offices nationwide last year.

Over the past three years, 499,298 children’s cases have been managed across the country.

The 2019 Violence Against Children (VAC) survey shows that nearly half of females (45.9 percent) and more than half of males (56.1 percent) experience childhood violence in Kenya.

Physical violence is the most common form, with 38.8 percent of females and 51.9 percent of males reporting such experiences.

Additionally, 15.6 percent of females suffered childhood sexual violence, with most experiencing multiple incidents before reaching adulthood.

“The directorate implements the Spot It Stop It campaign to create awareness on responsible caregiving and the effects of VAC,” Mutua said.

The government is also running initiatives against female genital mutilation, child marriage, and online sexual exploitation.

The DCS manages 30 children’s institutions, including rehabilitation schools, remand homes, rescue centers, and assessment centers.