Tuesday, December 10, 2024

There is a significant Modern Slavery problem in Zambia-British High Commissioner

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British High Commissioner to Zambia, Fergus Cochrane-Dyet
British High Commissioner to Zambia, Fergus Cochrane-Dyet

British High Commissioner to Zambia, Fergus Cochrane-Dyet has called on the country to do more in order to curb human trafficking in Zambia.

Speaking during the launch of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crimes Zambia project on Trafficking in Persons, he said as one of the nations taking the lead in championing the issue of modern slavery and trafficking, the UK welcomes the chance to raise awareness on this horrific issue.

“Today there is recognition that human trafficking goes on in different forms everywhere in the world, including my own country the UK. The term “Modern Slavery” has been coined to describe the continuation of the disgraceful trade into modern times”, he said.

He stated that Zambia has adopted an admirably honest and determined stance on the issue which matters a lot because there is a significant Modern Slavery problem in Zambia, which is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women and children subjected to forced labour and sexual exploitation.

Mr. Cochrane said trafficking occurs mostly within Zambia’s borders, with those from rural areas exploited in urban centres, in domestic servitude or sex-trafficking, and in conditions of forced labour in sectors such as agriculture, textiles, and mining.

The High Commissioner has since commended the project and is delighted that it is receiving funding from the UK.

“The UK has been one of the lead nations championing the issue of modern slavery and trafficking by raising awareness of this scourge across the world”, he said.

President Edgar Lungu chairing a meeting on Human Trafficking and forced Labour with the British Prime Minister Theresa May
FIle: President Edgar Lungu chairing a meeting on Human Trafficking and forced Labour with the British Prime Minister Theresa May

According to official international figures, there is an estimated 92,000 victims of modern slavery in Zambia. In September 2017, at the UN General Assembly in New York, President Lungu and the British Prime Minister Theresa May co-hosted a session on Modern Slavery, and both countries signed the UNGA Call to Action to end Modern Slavery.

Zambia was one of the first countries in the SADC Region to enact specific and comprehensive trafficking in persons legislation, namely The Anti-Human Trafficking Act No. 11 of 2008. An inter-ministerial steering committee was established and the country developed a comprehensive national strategy and action plan to combat trafficking in persons namely – the Anti-Human Trafficking National Action Plan (2012-2015).

Working through UNODC’s partnership with the Zambian authorities the project will seek to prevent and address trafficking by assisting the authorities to develop and implement a comprehensive approach. UNODC’s role will be to coordinate.

The project’s purpose will be to increase local ownership and sustainability.

25 COMMENTS

    • Whites have higher IQ’s than blacks.
      They are genetically and mentally superior to us.

      So he has to be right whatever he is saying.

      I hold a PhD

      Thanks

      BB2014,2016

    • Example of modern slavery is a situation whereby skilled and experienced are offered jobs in first world countries and are meant to work harder to develop that country than theirs.

    • But this Mushota thing is a huge disappointment. A shallow minded PHD holder. I’m appalled & disgusted by your statement & it seems you lack a good understanding of your own black history. Black people are genetically superior to any other race being the first original people. Go to Dr Mendel’s genetics and maybe you will have an understanding that white/blue is recessive while black/brown is dominant. You are still mentally enslaved if you think biological factors are solely responsible for development & success. Useless PhD holder. You are schooled & not educated.

    • Oh yes whooo hooo a PHD Biggy huh whopping great thumper huh – S0 now what exactly does that mean in English – Pigs Hold Demonstration of stupidity again and again – so sing dat jungle book tune baby “Gimme dat Gimme dat bananaaaa old Monkey King Louie Huh. Haaa haaa Bongolo haaa haaa

  1. Modern slavery includes the economic enslavement of poor countries by the rich nations like UK. Why do the richest 1% of the world’s population own more than half of the world’s wealth, a greater part of which is in Africa? Yet the majority of Africans go hungry and continue to fill the breadbasket of the rich. These are the issues the High Commissioner should be addressing.

    • I doubt you understand the definition of Modern Slavery…just look it up instead of pretending to be conscious and pro African; its funny chaps who are married to musungus are the ones that claim to Afro-conscious…its laughable..sit down; You can fooool some people sometimes
      But you couldn’t fooool all the people all the time.

  2. There is now a new wave going on whereby resourced countries are buying up tracts of land in developing countries and doing stuff that only colonialists would approve of. Ethiopia is a good example, and so are places where so-called export processing zones are located. This sham called “helping out” underdeveloped communities is just another rush to grab more wealth! OPEN YOUR EYES PEOPLE! OPEN THEM!!!!

  3. Zambian sellouts, traitors and economic ra*pist mercenaries who enslave their citizens are the cause of modern day slavery. Look at people who sold mines, they are rich with blood money but the forcefully retrenched young miners died and their children are slaves in their own country.
    Privatization thieves and Panama papers.

    • And the $42m fire tenders, $4.3m toll gate, RB’s retirement mansion, $1.2bn dual carriageway the list is endless.Ndipo iyi governemt niyamilandu!

  4. I am surprised by the animosities from some bloggers. Why not use critisismn constructivly. As for feather head Mushota, you have a PHD in nothing . I can say to you whites have technology but we blacks have hearts and souls.

  5. @6 ARE U GOING TO EAT HEARTS AND SOULS IWE KOLOKOMBWA, WHITES ARE INTELLIGENT THAN BLACKS THUS A PROVEN FACT, WHEN A WHITEMAN IS BOSS U ALL WORK HARD AND SUPPORT HIM AND YIELD GOOD RESULTS CHANGE TO A BLACKMAN EISH ITS WHO IS HE WHAT DOES HE KNOW NIMWANA WABANI? WHEN HR WAS COACH WE WON THEN CHANGE TO WADA ITS MISERY LOOK AT DIALOGUE PROCESS ZCID HAS NOW WITHDRAWN I CAN ASSURE U THEIR WILL BE NO DIALOGUE TILL 2021 BUT IF IT WAS GUY SCOT HEADING ZAMBIA THEIR WOULD BE ORDER COS.WE ALL BELIEVE WHAT HE CAN SAY AS A WHITE. THIS AMBASSADOR IS TAKING IN PARABLES HE IS SAYING ZAMBIA MODERN SLAVERY IS WITH THE CHINESE INFESTORS, WHO IN THIS MODERN WORLD INVADE UR COUNTRY ND YOUR PRESIDENT DEFENDS THEM AND THEY EVEN TAKE LAW IN OWN HANDAS THAT IS MODERN SLAVERY

  6. useless Zambians, the British high commissioner is right. in most mining firms our engineers are paid peanuts compared to less qualified expert. minister of labour has closed her ears and eyes.

    • WHY ARE ZAMBIAN TAX PAYERS FAILING TO PAY SCHOOL FEES FOR THEIR KIDS?
      THEY ARE NOW CRYING FOR HELP FROM THEIR RELATIVES IN THE DIASPORA

  7. Modern Slavery exists in Zambia. Zampost Workers and Council workers go without salaries for months. That is Slavery. Political Parties use cadres to campaign for them and yet all the cadres get, if they are lucky, is food and transport for the day. This is Slavery.

  8. Like it not this present in every country. I also include the selling of football players as a kind of slavery. …yes they may get a lot of money but to be negotiated over like a piece of furniture is….It’s the responsibility of every person to fight this scourge, say by not bringing children of poor relatives to slave in our homes without offering them essentials such as good education etc.

  9. I support this awareness campaign by the UN. However I am baffled by Ambassadors’ assertion (if correctly reported and not fake news); that quote, ……’there is a significant Modern Slavery problem in Zambia, which is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women and children subjected to forced labour and sexual exploitation.’

    The larger salacious type of sexual slavery is inaccurate. There is some form of servitude mostly because of poverty. Preverently, underpaid Maid/Cook, Security Guard services in many middle class homes. They need jobs and there arose an practice of reliance between the poor and the better off. To banish this type of practice, the economy needs to improve to expand available jobs.

    • The more serious and urgent one of people trafficking, to sexual markets in the UK and Europe, happen because of the depravity of sexual industries in those countries, that us to say they have a Market, Demand is high and so the Supply to meet this demand has spread internationally.

      Zambia though, has no reported evidence of arrests of major trafficking that could in anyway support the alleged statement by UK Ambassador that, ‘Zambia is a source and destination of this trade.’ That bit is denied because there are no statistics supporting that. Where are the Parliamentary discussions on this? Where are the newspaper reports on the police actions taken? I hope he was misunderstood. But this a UN action not UK and ambassador should stick to diplomatic relation building not rubbing…

    • ………not rubbing people the wrong way by spreading the ‘bread with too much butter and jam,’ as the message becomes unpalatable.

  10. modern slavery in zambia it dere its true become people in formal employment can not save becoz of vry low salaries ad economy

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