By Okidi Patrick/ NORTHERN UGANDA CORRESPONDENT.
LIRA: A team sent by Association of Religious of Uganda(ARU) engaged Lira Diocese on the awareness on Human trafficking.
The team tipped the over 90 members comprising of Priests and the religious members of the diocese on how they can use several platforms on desiminating the information and awareness about the issue of human trafficking.
Father Vicent Mbusa, a priest of Holly Cross who currently work in Fort Portal Diocese and they were for an awareness training of Catholic Religious members said the Catholic Bishops of Uganda wrote a document Called” break the York ” He explained how our young women and men have been tricked and trafficked to go outside the country in the pretext of being employed but end up in problems due to modern kind ofslavery.
In a press briefing at the compound of Apostolic Social Centre on Monday Father Vincent Mbusa said St.Bakhita Anti-Human trafficking Network Uganda Limited, wants zero tolerance to human trafficking.
In another statement during the training, at least 350 victims of human trafficking have been rehabilitated by the Catholic organisation quoted in this very article.
This was revealed by Mr Mutabingwa Joseph, programs manager at Sisters of Holly Crooss during half-day workshop conducted at Apostolic Social Centre ,Lira City on Monday 23rd day of October,2023.
However on the issue pertaining human trafficking,two victims testified before the celery, sisters and the media on how they were mistreated in a slavery manner in one of the Arab country where they were taken for jobs slot but at the end of it all, things turned out negative on their side whereby some of them(the victims)came back empty-handed.
The aspects of human trafficking which is modern slavery and a tricky business is now becoming so common in most parts of the world.
According to Mr. Mutabingwa Joseph,the programs manager at sisters of Holly Cross Justice and Peace Centre,Fort Portal ,he emphasized on human trafficking as one of the biggest problem in the world.
“I want to assure you the sisters that they (the traffickers)can even come for you with hidden intensions after finishing the youth” It attracts 150 billion dollars annually involved in the human trafficking business that has increased by 779 cases according to statistics obtained in the year 2022 up to October 2023.
There are common reasons linking trafficking to poverty, unemployment, cheap labour, the trafficked turning to be traffickers themselves among other reasons outlined.
The workshop was opened by Father Valente Innocent Opio,the Vicar general of Lira Diocese. According to Father Opio, they have come to learn that many ex-victims have suffered in some of the Arab countries and many of them have been traumatized due to the evil of such human trafficking.
Therefore, a section of religious and priests from Lira went for a training in Gulu a couple of months ago ,where they were trained in Gulu Archdiocese and they shared with the team in Lira Diocese during the workshop held in Apostolic Social Centre Hall on Monday a palatable information that could be beneficial to the community they serve.