By Abubaker Mayemba

IOM, the UN Migration Agency, this week joined senior African officials to discuss the draft report of a major Evaluation of the African Union’s Ouagadougou Action Plan to Combat Trafficking in Human Beings, especially Women and Children. 

The Ouagadougou Action Plan was adopted by an African Union-European Union ministerial conference in Libya in November 2006. It requires action by AU and EU member states in the key areas of protection, prevention, prosecution and partnerships to combat Trafficking in Persons (TiP). 
Twelve years later, in 2018, the African Union Commission (AUC) ordered an evaluation of the implementation of the Action plan with a view to identifying best practices, challenges and emerging issues. And on 20-21 March, 2019, senior officials from AU member states gathered at Serena Lake Victoria Hotel, Kigo, Uganda, to “validate” or scrutinize the draft evaluation report.

According to Geoffrey Wafula, Migration Coordinator in the AU Department of Social Affairs, the evaluation was necessary because human trafficking has remained a big problem in Africa. Indeed the two-day validation meeting discussed implementation challenges, gaps and recommendations. This process will culminate into a robust document that will be tabled before AU heads of state for endorsement next January.

Sabelo Mbokazi, the AU Head of Division of Labor, Employment and Migration, described human trafficking and smuggling as some of the worst forms of human rights abuses. 
“The international community and indeed the African Union [have] come up with policy frameworks that provide transformative strategies and actions that member states can be able to use so that we are able to arrest these activities that continue to victimize vulnerable migrants,” said Mbokazi.

In his opening remarks, Uganda’s State Minister for Internal Affairs, Obiga Mario Kania, emphasized the need to combat TiP. He said the International Labour Organization (ILO) estimates that 40 million people are victims of this “modern day slavery.” He called for strong recommendations and solid policies and regulations to address TiP and other forms of irregular migration.  

IOM is collaborating with the AUC on this evaluation process, and IOM Uganda Chief of Mission Ali Abdi was among the officials present in Kigo.  
In his remarks, delivered on his behalf by IOM Counter Trafficking Focal Person Joycelynn Karungi, Abdi pointed out that 80 per cent of Africa’s international migration takes place within the continent. One solution to human trafficking, therefore, was for African states to resolutely work at removing barriers to free movement of persons.
“Irregular migration on this continent is all too common and should be mitigated as it creates ample avenues for Trafficking in Persons. Irregular migration can be mitigated by a continental free movement of persons regime,” Abdi said. 
He also observed that it was important for AU Member States to begin operationalizing the Global Compact for Migration (GCM) through enhanced cooperation at bilateral, regional and sub-regional levels. Abdi added that building on existing mechanisms, platforms and frameworks would also address migration in all its dimensions. Objectives 10, 7 and 9 of the GCM respectively call for preventing, combatting and eradicating TiP; addressing and reducing vulnerabilities in migration; and strengthening of trans-national response to smuggling of migrants.