The inadequacies of Zambian legislation to counter human trafficking

Abstract

The growing crime of human trafficking presents one of the greatest challenges confronting humanity. The 21" Century has witnessed concerted efforts the world over to grapple with the trafficking industry. The devastating impact caused by human trafficking is immense. Human trafficking not only subjects trafficked persons to gross human rights abuse but also threatens national and regional peace, security and development. A staggering 800,000 victims are forced to cross international borders every year, generating an annual return of $12 billion for the perpetrators. However, statistics vary as to the precise number of trafficked persons. This is not only due to the clandestine nature of the offence, but also due to the lack of a universal standard of what constitutes trafficked. Cultural practices and internal forms of trafficking are non-paradigmatic instances of trafficking not envisaged by the Convention on Transnational Organised Crime, and are particularly commonplace in Africa. There is an intimate connection between poverty and the persistence of the scourge. The resulting problems of the traffic are doubly acute in the sub-Saharan region. More than 70 per cent live below the poverty datum line. This region is at the epicenter of the HIV/AIDS pandemic. One-fifth of the regional population is infected with the virus. This had had irreversible consequences such as a proliferation in the number of orphans, street children and child-headed households, hence militating for the growth of vulnerable people to traffickers. A viable legal framework is a precursor to address all the intricacies of human trafficking nationally and regionally. It is the purpose of this essay to advocate for a new law that will effectively combat the crime and provide vulnerable people with lasting solution to their plight. The proposed law must also tackle the root causes of the traffic.