The Government says it plans to repatriate more Zimbabweans who are stranded in Oman, an Arab country located in Western Asia.
The Zimbabwean nationals, the majority of who were females, were lured into slavery through false promises of well-paying domestic work in Oman.
Speaking to The Sunday Mail, Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage permanent secretary Major-General (retired) Dr. Gerald Gwinji said 107 women and men were repatriated from Middle Eastern country.
However, according to the Government’s database, about 21 Zimbabweans remain stranded in the country. Said Gwinji:
In response to distress calls made by victims of trafficking in Oman, the Government of Zimbabwe allocated resources through Treasury for the repatriation of 107 Zimbabwean nationals.
Of the people repatriated back to Zimbabwe, 105 were female and two were male.
There have been several reports of Zimbabweans who have fallen victim to traffickers.
Using information extracted from the reports, a WhatsApp platform was created to facilitate coordination and to have an appreciation of the number of victims of human trafficking and, as of December 2022, at least 128 people have been trafficked to Oman, with the majority having been repatriated by Government.
Furthermore, Government is considering carrying out the second phase of the repatriation exercise to bring back stranded Zimbabwean nationals in our database.
… A total of 69 cases of trafficking in persons (TIP) involving 139 victims of trafficking were recorded and investigated.
Seven suspects were arrested for TIP in 2022 and are currently in custody pending trial, while three were arrested for domestic trafficking cases.
Source: PindulaNews
In other news – Zanu-PF held Chaotic primary elections
Zanu-PF yesterday held chaotic primary elections marred by violence and vote rigging claims with some candidates’ names missing from cell registers while ballots were not delivered in some areas.
In Mashonaland Central, President Emmerson Mnangagwa‘s shadowy campaign team, the Forever Associates Zimbabwe Trust (FAZ), was accused of vote rigging in Bindura, Muzarabani, Mt Darwin and Rushinga where 27 cell registers were reported missing.Learn More
