KENYA From Kenya to Myanmar, victims of human trafficking and sexual slavery

Most of the people caught in this web are single women under the age of 30. Lured by the prospect of a job, they end up in prostitution. The exploitation also affects other countries in the area, from Thailand to Vietnam. A millionaire business for unscrupulous traffickers.

Yangon () – Human trafficking connects Kenya with Myanmar. The main victims are single women under the age of 30 who, attracted by the prospect of employment as domestic workers, salespeople or teachers, end up in the black market of prostitution and sexual slavery. The phenomenon was exposed in all its magnitude in recent weeks and involves other countries on the continent such as Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Brunei, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

According to the Nairobi government, desperate calls for help from Nigerians -men, but especially women- exploited in Southeast Asian countries are multiplying. The situation is so dramatic that warning messages have been issued urging fellow citizens not to respond to job offers unless there are real confirmations and guarantees before leaving.

Kenya does not have diplomatic representation in Myanmar. To regulate relations, it relies on the embassy in Thailand, which confirms the increase in cases of trafficking and slavery, especially in the last year, after the arrival of the Burmese military junta in power, through the February coup. of 2021. The young women who are forced into prostitution come from low-income families with few resources, who have to sell assets and land to cover the expenses of the trip.

Institutional sources report that the number of victims is rising, while traffickers and labor brokers in Nairobi and other cities like Eldoret make millions by exploiting young Kenyans seeking work abroad. Unbeknownst to victims, criminals obtain and distribute 90-day tourist visas to facilitate entry into the country. They then cut ties the moment job-seeking immigrants realize they have fallen into a trap. Once abandoned in Thailand and Myanmar and without a return ticket”, explains the diplomatic representation of Nairobi in Bangkok, “it is up to the embassy and the families of origin to try to organize their return home”.

At least five women were recently evacuated from Myanmar after asking for help. They are expected to be repatriated to Kenya via Bangkok shortly, but the focus is on the scores of people who remain trapped in trafficking and others who continue to be recruited in their country of origin with bogus job opportunities. “Dozens of other Kenyans arrived at Suvarnabhumi International Airport, and all were transferred across the border to Myanmar, following the same pattern as the previous groups. “The embassy,” the note concludes, “has received distress calls from some 30 Kenyans, but we know there are more than 50 in Myanmar and three in Laos.”