Trafficking in Persons Bill signed Dr Misheck Sibanda
misheck sibanda

Dr Misheck Sibanda

Herald Reporter
President Mugabe has assented to the Trafficking in Persons Bill that seeks to domesticate the protocol to prevent, suppress and punish trafficking in persons, especially of women and children.Zimbabwe is a signatory to the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organised Crime and the Protocol to prevent, suppress and punish trafficking in persons.

Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet Dr Misheck Sibanda announced the development in a Government Gazette yesterday.

The new Act now provides for the establishment of an Inter-Ministerial Committee with a mandate to formulate and implement a national plan of action against trafficking in persons.

Centres for victims of trafficking in persons would be established, while the Criminal Law Code and the Money Laundering and Proceeds of Crime Act (Chapter 9: 24) will be amended.

Clause three of the Act creates the crime of trafficking in persons and specifies certain instances in which the offence is to be considered as committed in aggravating circumstances.

According to the Gazette, a crime of trafficking in persons shall be considered to be committed in aggravating circumstances if the trafficked person is a child or disabled person, if the crime is committed by an organised group or by reason or on the occasion of the act of trafficking, the victims dies, becomes insane, suffers mutilation or is infected with HIV or a sexually transmitted disease.

Clause four provides for the powers of law enforcement agents that include the police, customs and immigration officers to question, search and detain persons entering or leaving Zimbabwe as well as seize property of suspected persons where there exists a reasonable suspicion that the crime of trafficking in persons is being or is about to be committed.

The law enforcement agents have the power to “stop, detain and search any motor vehicle, aircraft, vessel or other means by which the victim is conveyed by air, land or water, or any article, document or other property found therein or found in possession or control of such individual.”

The Act compels offenders to give the law enforcement agents all the information they want.

Clause five provides for protection of victims in connection with the prosecution of traffickers under the Act.

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