INTRODUCTION

‘Stacy’ is a young girl coming from a family of two siblings aged 8 and 3 years and a step-father. They reside in Mukuru kwa Njenga. Her mother, runs a business of selling chicken at Pipeline Estate.

‘Stacy’ did her KCPE in 2019 and joined Topline Mixed Secondary School at Mukuru.  But she only remained in school for two weeks due to lack of fees. Since then, she has not be in good terms with her mother.

GENESIS OF THE PROBLEM

The problem between the mother and ‘Stacy’ started immediately the schools were closed due to Corona virus pandemic. On one occasion, her mother came home drunk at around 11pm and requested her daughter to go out and buy food for the family. She argued that it was late and that she might be confronted by the police who can easily arrest her. The mother immediately started assaulting her.

Later, due to the environment she was exposed to by her mother, she decided to leave. She walked in and out of the village searching for an operating Kiosk but all in vain. She decided to go back empty handed even though she anticipated a tough reaction from the mother because she was drugged. Her mother assaulted her severely and send her out of the house claiming that she does not belong to that family and that she collected her in a ‘heap of garbage’

‘Stacy’ had no choice but to seek refuge at her uncles’ house at that time of the night which was some miles away despite the risks she was prone to at that time. The second occasion was on a Sunday morning when ‘Stacy’ as her normal duties, she woke up at around 6am in the morning and started preparing breakfast. After breakfast at around 8am, the mother saw her dressing up for Sunday service. She was immediately curious to know where she was going? ‘Stacy’ informed her mother that she was preparing for Sunday service. The mother reprimanded her that she was not going anywhere. As ‘Stacy’ tried to argue that she wanted to attend to a church service, the mother slapped her and punched her with a big blow on her left side of her stomach. She immediately collapsed.

‘Stacy’ has been sharing her experience about her mother with her uncle who has being supportive in times of need.

This report was brought to the attention of CHTEA by a community volunteer based at the Mukuru. ‘Stacy’ was advised to report the incident to Imara Daima Police Post. The victim had a swollen left side of the stomach due to the assault from her mother. Medical care was immediately arranged for ‘Stacy’ before the investigating officer secured a P3 police form to prosecute the mother. A safe house was identified and ‘Stacy’ was immediately placed in as CHTEA coordinates her further support for education and protection.

What of Victims’ Families?

Introduction

Did you ever think what it must be like if you were the parent/s of a Trafficked Victim?  S/he is gone for three years now and you’ve no idea if your son or daughter is dead or alive.  Of course the agent had promised she could call home anytime and it all sounded wonderful plus a wage packet that would help defray family debts and pay for siblings’ education.

Finally, ‘Lucy’ did come home but she was no longer the ‘bubbly’ teenager you knew. She was sad and cried a lot though she did her utmost to fight back tears.  We know that this family paid the ultimate price.  They literally had endless months and years of a “Roller Coaster” of pain, anxieties and major expenses.  Each new day their bitter agony arose with the sun and often continued deep into the night with the shrieking nightmares ‘Lucy’ was having.

The medical and psychotherapy expenses were catastrophic and dwindled all their savings and whatever resources they could find.  Some few friends helped a bit but they too have their own families and need what scarce resources they have to sustain themselves and the education of their children.  We have learned from reliable sources that agents destroy all records once the person they trafficked has reached the other side or whatever destination they had intended to send the person (who is now their victim).

What of the authorities who prepare passports and later some other authorities who facilitate their passage through our International Airport – they must know in their hearts who is a minor in years but whose date of birth is falsified.  What of the millions and billions of every currency in the world which is made by those in the sex industry?  There is a plethora of crime syndicates and heartless individuals whose contacts extend deep into the slums (where 60% of Nairobians live) and most remote areas of Kenya.  These too ‘Push’ the finest of our young people into unknown and dangerous places.

Sadly. it is women who are most skilled and ruthless in this whole trade of violence and rape.  The victims are forced to have sex with many men at any hour of the day or night.  Will there be a day of Judgement?  When will all our nations, authorities and people of goodwill wake up and say “enough is enough” the flesh trade must end NOW.  This together with all the purveyors of HARD PORN which ignite passions and fuel the DEMAND for purchased sex it creates around the world.

Conclusion

More than our physical environment need a good ‘clean up’ In our world and in Kenya there is a vast unseen ‘under-the-rug’ type of lethal violence unfolding at each moment of every day.  For humanity’s sake it is in all our best interests to give it our attention and be proactive in eliminating this new Slave Trade.

Mary O’ Malley

Meeting Victims of Human Trafficking

It started as a day like any other but as is the case in Counter Human Trafficking activities, it certainly was one we could not have imagined what was to transpire.  On our schedule we had a trip to the International airport to meet two victims from Saudi Arabia.  We arrived to find that the plane had just landed but after a period of waiting and most passengers had come out, we decided it was time to try to call one of them.  We had ‘Jackie’s’ name on a board, however, the ‘board’ on this occasion was the 42 page, A4 size “Training Manual” I designed in 2008, we refer to it as “Madam Lolo” (on a sheet of paper, taped on to the Manual, we just wrote the name of one of the two women we expected).  In simple pictorial format the Training Manual details the trafficking of a 12-year-old girl to a brothel-cum-bar who is exposed to a variety of severe hardships and sexual exploitation which finally ends in her death due to AIDS, having undergone several abortions by the doctor whom the ‘Madam’ calls in to carry out the procedure/s.

Planning our next move

Having waited so long we sat down in an airport café to sit and have some drinks and call ‘Jackie’ That in itself was a struggle as she was not picking her phone but we had an alternative number and she answered it telling us that she lacked an ‘exit visa’ and was turned back at Riyadh International airport on the previous evening.  As all this was happening, I spotted a long line of very young girls (at least eleven of them) come out of a Nissan van and with a small suitcase each they made a line heading in the direction of where we had just left, to ‘Saudi Airlines’ They were followed at the rear by a Madam in full Muslim dress. With Mutuku opposite me, I said: “look quickly, that trail of young girls is being trafficked” I could see his face ‘fall’ and my mind went back to another time when I was on my way home through Abu Dhabi direct to Dublin.  I spotted a group of 14 very young pretty Ethiopian and Eritrean girls in the transit lounge, I knew they were being ‘trafficked’.  An inner voice reminded me “Mary, you are starting your holidays now – just leave them” But another stronger, inner voice said ‘No, engage with them’ which I did and in very faltering English found that they were bound for Abu Dhabi for work, one managed to say “Work, Yes, we go work” I knew what fate awaited them and I felt very sad and helpless.

Take Courage Always

Today, with that trail of young girls on their way to an unknown fate, I stripped off the A4 page bearing the name of ‘Jackie’ and walked swiftly in their direction – carrying the “Madam Lolo” story.  They had just reached the health scan checking for their Covid-19 certs.  I asked one of them which county are you going to?  Her reply was simple – just one word ‘Saudi’ which spoke volumes to me.  I just placed the manual in her hands and said; ‘read this’ Some of the worst, most horrific and violent episodes come out of victims to Saudi – such has been my experience over 15 years.  We have some photos of gross mutilations, burns e.g., placing a hot iron on a girl’s arm just because she burned the ‘tail’ of a man’s shirt and this was done by a woman – it amounts to gross inhumanity and a level of cruelty which defies imagination.   As I walked a few meters away from them I just turned around and the Muslim lady was glaring hard back at me, I turned around and came back to our table at the café.  Since beginning this work 15 years ago, I know that nothing is ever lost, no effort is too big in my passion to work Against HT whenever or wherever I meet it.  In the Preface to a Strategic Plan of 2008, I wrote: “my mission is to sow ‘seeds’ very small seeds let God’s Spirit wing them where God’s Spirit wills” I have placed all my efforts and services in the hands of the Almighty who can and does Shepherd His people despite the awful greed of traffickers who reap so much wealth that it can finance the entire operations of Al Shabbab or Boko Haram.

Despite the fact that we spent over 3 hours going to the airport all was not lost, on the way back as we chatted, we also conceived of an idea to do some ‘Research’ around this trafficking of young girls to Saudi and other Gulf States.  In tandem with that idea and also very much related to it, that evening, Mutuku received a call at his home.  It came from a deputy police Officer Commanding Station (OCS) whom he parted company with just two weeks earlier.  In the first week of February, 2021 Mutuku and George Matheka completed phase 2 of the ‘Training of Trainers’ (ToT) for 30 members of Kangemi Parish, Nairobi.  The group included the deputy OCS and a female police Officer and they also received their certificates as people qualified to present the whole gamut of Human Trafficking to any group of people who wished to engage with them.

Serious Criminal Activity

‘Peter’ this deputy Police Officer Commanding Station (OCS) had an immediate urgent problem.  It was 11pm and one hour after curfew, he had just arrested the driver of a Nissan van carrying one adult Muslim lady and 14 young girls (as verified by their passports).  Each one held a small weekend case – ‘they look fearful and very terrified’ he explained to Mutuku.  In addition, this Muslim lady carried 14 passports in an envelope inside her jacket pocket, there was no doubt she was dealing with an immediate and very serious crime – there was no time to lose.  Mutuku gave him the name and phone number of the “Transnational Organized Crime Unit” (TOCU) Officer who could help him immediately.  It worked as a crime novel would describe it and when ‘Peter’ came to see us at our office some days later, he was beaming with pride, “this incident has given me more satisfaction than all the other crime cases I have dealt with in my 15 years as a Police officer”  We Congratulated him again and he continued “Now I know that this is the kind of crime area I can specialize in”  Last week he informed us that he has received promotion to move up the ranks as “Acting OCS” in charge of a large Police Station.

The author of this article is Sr Mary O’Malley, MMM. A co-founder of CHTEA and current Chairperson of the Board of Trustees.