Murangira B. Thierry, the RIB spokesperson, stated that these incidents have occurred since 2019. However, the number of cases has shown a gradual decline: 91 cases in the 2019/20 fiscal year, 61 cases in 2020/21, 41 cases in 2021/22, a slight rise to 58 cases in 2022/23, and 46 cases in 2023/24.
Youth make up 90% of these victims, with 168 individuals aged between 18 and 30, 102 under the age of 18, and 27 over the age of 30. Additionally, women constitute 75% of the trafficked individuals, while men account for 25%.
Murangira explained that the trafficked individuals include both Rwandans and foreigners transiting through Rwanda due to its well-established international transportation network.
Many are enticed by promises of jobs and other opportunities abroad, particularly in Asia, but often fall victim to human trafficking due to naivety and a lack of critical thinking, trusting strangers who offer help without expecting anything in return.
'There is an element of human gullibility because the victims often do not receive complete information from their traffickers. Some people leave to marry someone they met on Facebook or Instagram, without knowing anything more about them,' Murangira noted.
'Others are lured by promises of education or marrying wealthy men abroad. Some knowingly go to work as prostitutes under the impression that it is respectable, only to find themselves exploited,' he added.
Murangira emphasized that people should not be swayed by everything that glitters, mistaking it for gold, and should be cautious of strangers offering lucrative jobs without knowing them. As he explained, every country has unemployed citizens, noting that such offers should raise suspicion.
Regarding the tactics used, Murangira said, 'The first thing traffickers do is tell the victim to keep everything secret, warning them that 'if you talk about this, it won't happen.' This secrecy is intended to prevent the victim from seeking advice and questioning the trafficker's intentions.'
He also mentioned that some individuals are intercepted at borders, appearing reluctant to disclose their destination, and are subsequently returned. Parents have also approached RIB upon noticing their children seeking travel documents under suspicious circumstances, believing they are being lured by promises of education or marriage abroad.
From 2019 to June 2024, 85 people have been rescued through collaboration with the Rwandan Ministry of Foreign Affairs, with 79 of them being women. These individuals often used social media, particularly WhatsApp, to send distress messages back to Rwanda, prompting RIB to coordinate their rescue with other agencies.
Murangira called on the public to avoid being lured by vague promises of benefits abroad, as this provides loopholes for trafficking. He revealed that some of those rescued now work with RIB in campaigns against human trafficking.
IGIHE
Source : https://en.igihe.com/news/article/nearly-300-people-trafficked-from-rwanda-in-the-last-five-years
