Hope returns for 10-year-old who will soon return home after being trafficked overseas

A 10-year-old girl who was trafficked from Uganda to Kenya, and forced into domestic work, is now safe and eagerly awaiting her return home.

Margaret* attended primary school prior to Covid-19 hitting Uganda, but the pandemic forced her school to close its doors. With Margaret at home all day, and with many mouths to feed, her family agreed she could help out by working for a relative overseas.

But the reality was nothing like Margaret or her parents had been led to expect. The young girl was forced to work long, hard days; cleaning, cooking and caring for a baby who was less than a year old. Margaret also endured physical and verbal abuse.

One day, Margaret managed to escape, and was referred to an anti-child trafficking organisation in Kenya which contacted Hope for Justice’s Uganda team for help with finding her family.

Our team sprang into action, and were able to find and contact Margaret’s parents in just a day, using their large local network of contacts. We arranged for Margaret to speak to her parents on the phone, who were delighted to hear her voice, and relieved to know she was safe and well.

Our social workers visited Margaret’s parents, to make them aware of the risk of child trafficking, and to ensure the family unit was a safe one for Margaret to return to. We continue to work closely with her parents to help safeguard the family’s future.

We are working jointly with the Kenyan organisation to return Margaret safely to Uganda – and back to her family once again.

*Name and image have been changed to protect survivor’s identity