Rwanda National Police

Residents of Gatsibo district have been urged to be vigilant and fight against human trafficking.

This call was made during a meeting last week that convened at Gatsibo sector and attracted over 300 residents.

The meeting was meant to enlighten the residents on the issue of human trafficking, tricks traffickers use to lure unsuspecting people, how to overcome or to prevent such acts from happening.

“Human trafficking is a hidden crime that is usually conducted by people who pretend to be well-wishers by try to manipulate unsuspecting people, especially girls not to reveal their plan to anyone," IP Roger Rwakayiro, the District Community Liaison Officer of Gatsibo, said.

"It is therefore important to fight it and ensure that our communities remain safe and that our youth are not exploited by such people,” he added.

He urged them to play a crucial role in the identification of suspected human traffickers or any victim in order to contribute to police investigation and operations that help to overcome the crime.

"Important as well, combating it requires genuine cooperation between residents and police, which is crucial in identifying victims so they can be rescued and help bring their perpetrators to justice.”

He also requested the youth in particular to be involved in combating human trafficking by developing awareness and debates among themselves, through their youth clubs, to help increase awareness on the indicators of human trafficking.

Human trafficking is a rare occurrence in Rwanda, and cases that sporadically occur have been instantly dealt with by Rwanda National Police.

Globally, the most common forms of human trafficking are considered to be modern slavery, sexual exploitation and demeaning ritualistic acts.

About half of all human trafficking victims are believed to be females.