Kenya listed among countries with worst modern slavery practices
Kenya has been ranked 12th among countries with the worst record for practicing modern slavery.
This is according to the Global Slavery Index 2023 which was released this week after investigating a number of cases.
In the report, some 360,000 people are living in modern slavery in Kenya, which represents 0.6 per cent of the country’s population.
In the report, victims of slavery were usually picked from social media where the bosses take advantage of the unemployment level in the globe at large.
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“This includes people who are forced to work against their will, often in dangerous or exploitative conditions after being recruited on social media,” the report reads in part.
According to the report, some of the major contributors to modern slavery in Kenya is poverty, unemployment and social exclusion.
Kenya is also ranked to be a large practicing area for forced marriage, sexual exploitation and debt bondage which were also enlisted as forms of modern slavery. When people enter this form of abuse they also get abused violently.
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However, the Kenyan government, the report noted, has taken steps to address the slavery including passing of laws to deal with this.
According to the report, the government of Kenya passed the Trafficking in Persons Act, that listed human trafficking as criminal.
“While this has reportedly helped domestic workers connect with other workers on the platforms, without the necessary safeguards in place, domestic workers can be exposed to further harms such are trafficking by exploitative recruiters who are also active on the platforms, employer retaliation, and even deportation,” the report reads.
In addition, under the leadership of President William Ruto the government has taken major steps to address the plight of domestic workers in Saudi Arabia. This has been done through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs which is led by Dr Alfred Mutua.
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