Tanzania 'disappointed' over trafficking of children

Tanzania says it is “disappointed” to see children “being trafficked to Kenya for exploitation” following a BBC undercover investigation exposing the crime.

Alexander Lupilya, the head of research, statistics and rehabilitation at Tanzania’s anti-trafficking secretariat, said the government was aware of the problem and was taking various measures to address it.

This includes creating awareness within the communities from where the traffickers lure the victims, as well as and training police and immigration officers to identify and investigate such cases.

Mr Lupilya also said Tanzania was in contact with the Kenyan authorities on the matter.

"So far we have five victims of trafficking who are in Kenya waiting to return to Tanzania, so we have been communicating and working closely with the government in Kenya,” he said.

The BBC undercover investigation Forced to Beg: Tanzania’s Trafficked Kids exposes a human trafficking network smuggling disabled children from Tanzania to Kenya.

Many of the children are taken from their parents with the promise of a better life.

Instead, the children are forced to beg on the streets – often for years – while their captors take all of the profits.

This article originally appeared in BBC News

Photo: BBC