Let’s stand against human trafficking

HUMAN trafficking is a crime that exploits women, children and men for numerous purposes including forced labour and sex.
It is a serious offence with a global prevalence that infringes on basic human rights.
According to various United Nations reports every year, thousands of men, women and children fall into the hands of traffickers, in their own countries and abroad.
Last week, Justice Panuel Mogish, sentenced a man from Chimbu to jail (in absentia) for 20 years with hard labour last week in the country’s first ever case of human trafficking.
He said trafficking in persons was a serious crime and a grave violation of human rights.
Victims of trafficking can be of any age and gender.
An interesting twist to the case is that the man is believed to be hiding in his village in Chimbu.
Bail was granted for him in November during trial with the condition that he returns to court on Dec 4 for submissions on sentence.
He has not been in court since and attempts by his lawyer to get in contact with him have failed.
A bench warrant has been issued for him.
Willie Gare, 47, of Korokoa village in Gumine, Chimbu, was convicted on Nov 21 for six counts of trafficking in persons and one count of rape, committed against six young women from Central, which includes raping one of them.
Gare is the owner of the Waghi Hideaway Lodge located along Gumine road outside Kundiawa town. In 2015, he wanted some girls from Central to perform some dances at the opening of his lodge so he contacted his cousin sister who is married to a man from Boera village in Central.
Some young girls were organised and began practising.
On July 29, 2015, at around 11am, Gare and two Policemen arrived at Boera village and met with one of the parent of the girls where an agreement was reached for the girls to stay for two weeks to perform the hula dance and return. Gare gave the parent K500 and she agreed to release the girls into his custody.
Two males and five females were picked up by Gare.
Two female’s joined later.
In Kundiawa, a welcome reception was hosted by his family.
They were accommodated in four separate rooms at the lodge for two weeks until after the opening.
Gare did not pay for the girls’ return airfares to Port Moresby.
The girls were sexually exploited when he used them to entertain patrons of the lodge by directing them to sit, drink alcohol and have sex with them.
They were rescued by police and officers from the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) on Aug 29, 2015, after some of the girls and boys escaped to the Kerowagi Police Barracks and contacted their parents.
Traffickers exploit foreign and local women and children in sex trafficking, domestic servitude, forced labour in the tourism sector, manual labour, and forced begging and street vending.
According to an international non-government organisation’s research conducted in previous years, approximately 30 per cent of Papua New Guinean sex trafficking victims are children under the age of 18, with some as young as 10 years old.
Immediate family or tribe members reportedly subject children to sex trafficking or forced labour.
Human trafficking is one of the most heinous crimes on earth.
We must act now, there is no time to waste.