United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime

The UNODC Regional Office in East Africa (ROEA)

UNODC Launching Regional Legislative Assessment on Trafficking in Persons in Eastern Africa

Nairobi (Kenya), 28 October – Thanks to funding from U.S. Department of State - Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, UNODC today presented the Regional Legislative Assessment on Trafficking in Persons in Eastern Africa (2021) at a launch event at Sankara Hotel in Nairobi.

Every year, hundreds of thousands of men, women, and children are exploited and trafficked across the globe, with the majority being trafficked under false pretense for forced labour and sexual exploitation. Trafficking in Persons (TIP) is a serious crime and a grave violation of human rights, and is affecting every region in the world. Eastern Africa is no exception and has in recent years seen a surge in TIP.

To effectively counter TIP in Eastern Africa it is imperative that Member States of the region ratify and incorporate into national legislation the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC) and its Protocols as well as enhanced regional cooperation through a regional plan of action. Hence, the purpose of the Regional Legislative Assessment on TIP (2021) is to assess the status of compliance with UNTOC and the TIP Protocol, but also to address the lack of effective regional coordination in countering TIP in the region.

Participating in the launch, representatives from permanent missions of Eastern Africa Member States, Ms. Zainab Bangura, Under-Secretary General and Director-General of the United Nations office in Nairobi, Dr. Stephen Jackson, United Nations Resident Coordinator in Kenya, and His Excellency, Mr. Eric W. Kneedler, Chargé d’Affaires; United States Embassy in Nairobi, Kenya, and Mr. Javier Montano, Programme Coordinator at UNODC Eastern Africa.

During her speech, Ms. Zainab Bangura expressed her gratitude and appreciation to the Eastern Africa Member States for their continued support and partnership with UNODC and stressed the importance of the assessment as a tool for enhanced cooperation:

“This assessment highlights response gaps across the Eastern Africa region and provides recommendations on how best we can effectively prevent and suppress this crime, bring its perpetrators to justice and protect its victims. I say “we” because trafficking in persons is a complex cross-border organized crime and unfortunately one of the most profitable activities for organized criminal groups across the globe. It is a crime that affects every Member State – whether as a country of origin, transit, or destination. Bilateral and multilateral regional cooperation and coordination is required in order to tackle this crime and dismantle the criminal groups behind it.”

UNODC conducted the assessment as part of the regional project “Enhancing Effective and Victim-Centred Criminal Justice Responses to Trafficking in Persons in Eastern Africa”  funded by U.S. State Department – Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, implemented within the framework of the UNODC regional programme for Eastern Africa (2016-2021) – Promoting the Rule of Law. The aim of the project is to reduce TIP in the region by enhancing the strategic and operational capacity of States and regional organizations in Eastern Africa to prevent, suppress and punish TIP, while effectively protecting and supporting victims and witnesses of trafficking.

See UNODC Regional Legislative Assessment on Trafficking in Persons in Eastern Africa (2021) here (Coming).

See UNODC Legislative Guides for the Implementation of the United Nations Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime and the Protocols Thereto here.

See UNODC’s Strategic Vision for Africa 2030 here.

More information

Mr. Johan Kruger – johan.kruger@un.org

Head of Transnational Organized Crime, Illicit Trafficking and Terrorism Programmes,

UNODC Regional Office for Eastern Africa