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Gambia News: Human Trafficking Should Be Put Under Control

The Embassy of the United States of America in partnership with the University of The Gambia on Wednesday held a seminar at the premises of The Gambia Telecommunications and Multimedia Institute (GTMI) on the theme "General Introduction to Trafficking in Persons (TIP).

Presenting at the seminar, Mrs. Menaka Mayor, Political and Economic Officer at the United States Embassy said trafficking in persons has now become a global problem and the US is exhausting all efforts to stamp out the illegal act. She said human trafficking occurs when someone tries to recruit, harbour or move another person from one place to another with the promise of giving him a job or offer of marriage using fraud, deception or force.

She said human trafficking is modern day slavery as the traffickers most often dehumanize those they trafficked, stressing that young girls are more often the victims and are forced into the sex trade. She also said that those who are involve in the trafficking in person are usually not strangers, people are often trafficked by those they know, usually relatives, friends or neighbours and that they usually promise them employment, education or marriage and always take responsibility to handle and pay for the cost of passport, work permit and transportation which sounds so good but not true in practice. She also disclosed that the United States Government adopted a strong position on legalized prostitution in a December 2002 National security Presidential Directive based on evidence that prostitution is inherently harmful and dehumanizing.

The Vice Chancellor of the University, Professor Andreas Steigen who also presided over the programme, said trafficking in persons is a violation of human dignity and personality and educating the young peoples about the dangers in human trafficking will enable them to change their attitude about human beings which according to him is the only solution to this atrocity. He pledged that states should take stronger measures against those caught in the trade so as to put an end to it. Participants were shown videotape on how the traffic is conducted. The tape showed how the traffickers gather people, transport them to other destinations and the inhuman conditions and risks they are subjected to. The seminar was facilitated by Gumbo Ali Touray, director of Information and International Affairs of the UTG and was attended by students of the UTG and people from the St. Mary's College at Maryland who are on their exchange visit.