{{Twenty staff from Rwanda National Police and immigration, on Monday started an anti-human trafficking course to tighten border security, monitor border crossings and illegal migrants.}}
The five-day course dubbed STOP [Smuggling Training and Operations Programme], held at the CID school at the police headquarters in Kacyiru, is an initiative by the international police body, Interpol to fight human trafficking also known as trafficking in human beings or persons.
STOP, therefore, aims to be an operational programme at all outlets to raise awareness and equip border staff with basic control measures and standard operational policy and procedures for the use of the stolen and lost travel documents (SLTD) database.
“We must stop human trafficking at all costs. We know, to what extent, human trafficking can be a threat, not only to Rwanda but also to the region and beyond,” Commissioner of Police (CP) Christopher Bizimungu, the Commissioner for CID, who presided the official opening of the course, said.
“This is a tactical course to equip the border personnel with more skills in inspection; gain maximum knowledge and expertise to guide you in executing your tasks effectively,” CP Bizimungu told trainees.
The course is conducted by experts from Interpol.
With Rwanda having recorded no case of trade in humans this year, CP Bizimungu observed that there is need to keep ahead of such illegal business.
Only five cases of human trafficking were recorded last year.
Rwanda, he noted, is used as a human trafficking transit route.
Human trafficking is modern day slavery; victims of trafficking are recruited through deception, force or coercion and then transported to another location, either within the country or abroad.
Trafficking in persons victims are forced to sexual exploitation, exploitive labour in homes, factories and farms to the benefit of the traffickers.
About 21 million people are said to be trapped in this illegal business.
People smuggling is also often linked to identity fraud, corruption, money laundering, violence and terrorism.
Didier Clergeot, a trainer from Interpol’s trafficking in human being sub-division, observed that smuggling and trafficking networks provide stolen or lost documents to other people involved in organized crimes.
“Well-functioning border control measures impede the facilitation of illegal immigration and detect ongoing illegal activities. Hence, good border management regimes have both a preventive and an enforcement potential,” Clergeot said.
RNP
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