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Nyemudzai Kakore Herald Correspondent
Seven more women who had been held hostage in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia after being lured by a human trafficking syndicate, returned home on Thursday. This brings the number of women who have returned to 220 with Government facilitating the return of 120, while others were assisted by their family members in collaboration with the country’s embassy in Kuwait.

Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Foreign Affairs chairperson Cde Kindness Paradza on Thursday said it was high time Government dispatched a team to Kuwait to locate those left behind and bring them home.

Cde Paradza said it was disheartening that the women narrated the same ordeal of being subjected to harsh conditions.

“We have received seven girls with their ages ranging from 18 to 32 with two of them coming from Saudi Arabia. Those who came today (Thursday) told me there are many girls who are still out there, but cannot be located due to communication problems. They identified Marodza and Norest Maruma as the people who recruited them to go to Kuwait,” he said.

“Most of them were crying that at least they were now free and thanked the Government for facilitating their return. The women were taken to a safe house by officials from Social Welfare department for profiling, medical attention and also to debrief security agencies.

Cde Paradza said Parliament had already established a committee against human trafficking and they were currently working with the International Organisation on Migration to raise money and assist the women in starting small businesses. He said some of those who came earlier had been diagnosed with severe trauma from the physical abuses they endured while in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.

“So far IOM has in its coffers some start-up capital which is enough for about 100 girls to launch small income generating projects. Each girl will receive about $1 500 as seed capital while the Ministry of Small and Medium Enterprises and that of Women’s Affairs Agenda and Community Development will also chip in with additional capital,” he said.