Uganda: Police rescued 29 girls in transit to human trafficking

Uganda Police on Tuesday arrested five suspects involved in a human trafficking racket and rescued 29 Burundian girls in the country, according to a report by Xinhuanet.

Charlies Twiine, the police aide for the report said that girls were rescued while in transit for sex trade to other countries.

"We have rescued them (girls) and we have them here. I can't know whether they came from Bujumbura, Ruhengeri or whatever part of Burundi," he added. Further speaking on the transit route and the traffic mechanisms Twiine said, "Uganda is a transit route. We are trying to see how we can work on mechanisms of taking them back".

He also added that the arrested suspects would be arraigned in court on the charges of human trafficking. 

"Trafficking of girls is one of the dehumanizing crimes that is associated with sexual and labor exploitation," Twiine added.'

According to a report published on an official website of the United States, an International organization estimated that between 7,000 to 12,000 children were exploited in sex trafficking in 2020 in Uganda. In the same report, an international organization and NGO mentioned that most of the internal trafficking victims belong to the northeastern region of the country specifically Karamojong children who are trafficked and further exploited to commercial sex and forced begging.