Commemorating the World Day Against Trafficking in Burundi
The official ceremony took place in presence of representatives of the United Nations, members of the diplomatic corps based in Burundi and various local actors and NGOs.
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The World Anti-Trafficking Week was celebrated from 25 to 29 July in Burundi. IOM and UNICEF Burundi, in collaboration with the Government and with the support of local actors such as National Federation of Associations Defending Children's Rights (FENADEB), Fondation Stamm, Association of Women Lawyers of Burundi (AFJB) and Platform for Psychosocial and Mental Health Support (PPSM), carried out several awareness-raising activities in the country. These activities were run in line with this year's theme: use and abuse of technology.
The official ceremony was attended by the Resident Coordinator of the United Nations System, Damien Mama ; the President of the National Consultation and Monitoring Commission on the Prevention and Repression of Trafficking in Persons, Colonel Masunzu Epitace; the Ambassador of the Netherlands, H.E. Jeroen Steeghs; the Ambassador of the United States, H.E. Melanie Higgins; and the Director General for Multilateral Relations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Development Cooperation of Burundi, Ambassador Isaïe Kubwayo.
On behalf of the United Nations System in Burundi, Damien Mama, appreciated the work of the Government of Burundi and the National Commission for Consultation and Monitoring on the Prevention and Suppression of Trafficking in Persons, as well as the close collaboration between United Nations agencies, notably UNICEF and IOM, which enabled Burundi to move from Tier 2 Watchlist to Tier 2 in the classification of the US State Bureau's Global Trafficking in Persons Report 2022. “This is a huge step forward (…) The United Nations system, which I represent, and its partners remain available to support you’’, he said.
During the event, some testimonies of trafficked children were read by local theatre group “Buja Sans Tabou”. The case of Bella*, 17-year-old victim of external trafficking was highlighted. Bella was trafficked by a man who contacted her through social media. The promise of a decent job and the opportunity to study were key factors in her decision to go to South Africa. It happened that while in South Africa, she was forced into prostitution for a year before thankfully being rescued by neighbors and returned to Burundi, with the help of IOM Burundi. She received psychosocial support and social reintegration.
The testimonies were followed by a presentation of the winning photo in the “2022 USAID Democracy, Human Rights and Governance photo contest”, funded by USAID. The photograph illustrates a scene from the show "Invisible in Plain Sight" which took place on 15 March 2022 in the province of Muyinga. It was produced and staged by the local theatre group "Buja Sans Tabou" in collaboration with IOM, under a USAID-funded educational initiative on human trafficking.
The event closed with an extensive panel discussion on Burundi's efforts to the fight against human trafficking, in which participated Representatives of the National Commission for Combating Trafficking in Persons, the General Commissariat for Migration, IOM, UNICEF and civil society organizations, such as FENADEB, AFJB and Alliance of Imams of the Northern Corridor for Humanitarian Development.
All activities were carried out thanks the technical and financial support of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the government of the United states of America via USAID.
*(name changed to preserve her confidentiality)
