The cruelty of human nature is surprisingly continues to show know boundaries as there are those hunting fellow human beings to use them like animals.
Rivaled only by drug trafficking, human trafficking is widely viewed as modern-day slavery with victims mostly denied their free will and subjected to acts that run counter to human rights principles.
Detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) yesterday evening rescued 79 foreigners from human traffickers at Mlango Kubwa area in Starehe Constituency, Nairobi.
The victims aged between 19-45 included 75 Comorans, three Ugandans and a Congolese.
According to the DCI, the victims were rescued by police acting on a tip off.
“Detectives have already commenced investigations to nab the perpetrators of this heinous crime,” said the DCI.
Also on Friday, 90 other victims were rescued from different parts of Nairobi. They included 86 Comorans, 3 Ugandans and a Somali national.
As the World Day against Trafficking in Persons was marked on Monday, Kenya was still considered a source of origin, transit point and destination for victims.
The act can be recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of trafficked persons.
Trafficking involves threat or use of force, coercion, abduction, fraud, deception, abuse of power or vulnerability or giving payments or benefits to a person in control of the victim.
The purpose of the exploitation includes exploiting the prostitution of others, sexual exploitation, forced labour, slavery or similar practices and removal of organs.
Even more worrying is that those who suffer trafficking most are women and children. Sexual exploitation as a result of child trafficking stands as the greatest threat to any child, posing a danger to its health, psychology and wellbeing.
In fulfilling its obligation under international instruments calling for measures to curb trafficking, Kenya enacted the Counter-Trafficking in Persons Act 2010.
Among other things, the law criminalises human trafficking and imposes a penalty of imprisonment for not less than 30 years or a fine of not less than Sh 30 million or both and, upon subsequent conviction, life imprisonment.
Despite all this, the media continues to report cases of trafficking.Who do you think is facilitating human trafficking in Kenya?