Hope for Justice helps develop Ugandan national action plan to prevent human trafficking
Hope for Justice is proud to have worked alongside the Ugandan government to develop a national action plan to tackle human trafficking and modern slavery.
This is the country’s second National Action Plan (NAP) for Prevention of Trafficking in Persons, produced as part of the government’s commitment to address the problem, as mandated in law.
Uganda is a country of origin, transit, and destination of trafficked men, women, and children who are subjected to exploitation, including forced labour, street begging, sex trafficking, child sacrifice and child marriage.
Hope for Justice is already operating within the country to prevent trafficking, rescue victims, restore lives and reform society. We run four Lighthouses in Uganda – aftercare centres which provide a safe haven for child victims or children at risk of trafficking – and are part of a coalition of not-for-profit organisations responding to the issue at national level.
Florence Soyekwo, Hope for Justice’s Uganda Country Director, said: “Working with government and other not-for-profit organisations, Hope for Justice is pleased to have been part of the process of developing these very vital national policy documents for the work against trafficking in persons.”
Florence represents Hope for Justice on the national taskforce committee for the Prevention of Trafficking in Persons and has attended multiple meetings, workshops and retreats alongside key stakeholders to discuss and shape the NAP – a policy document outlining the next five-year plan.
The National Action Plan and the Guidelines were produced by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, with technical support from the International Organization for Migration (IOM) under the Better Migration Management (BMM) Programme.
In his foreword, Internal Affairs Minister Jeje Odongo, said the second NAP builds on lessons learnt from implementing the first, and urged partners to adjust their investment plans accordingly.
He said: “The key strategic pillars include establishment of structures and systems to prevent the crime in a sustainable way; ability to systematically identify, protect and support victims; effective investigations and prosecution of the offenders; and creation of a functional partnership between players at both the national and transnational levels.”
