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Herald Reporter

Principles of the Trafficking in Persons (Amendment) Bill, which seeks to strengthen efforts to protect victims of trafficking in line with the current legislation, have been approved by Cabinet.

Speaking during yesterday’s post-Cabinet briefing, Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister, Monica Mutsvangwa, said the Bill’s objective was to amend the definition of trafficking in persons, highlight scenarios where victims of trafficking in persons may not be made liable to certain criminal offences, elaborate on the assistance to be rendered to the victims of trafficking and to specify on the repatriation of such victims to and from Zimbabwe.

“In more detail, the Bill would provide for establishing the criminal offence of trafficking in persons, in line with the Parlemo Protocol and the definition of the Bill will also include the definition of forced labour or service exploitation in relation to the crime of human trafficking, such as all forms of slavery or practice similar to slavery, sexual exploitation, prostitution, child and adult pornography, debt bondage, servitude, forced labour and services, child labour, unlawful removal of body organs, forced marriage, impregnation of female person against her will for the purpose of selling her child when the child is born,” she said.

Minister Mutsvangwa said other provisions of the Bill would cover the non-liability of victims of trafficking, assistance to victims, access to information, procedure for the identification of victims of trafficking, circumstances for the granting of a temporary and permanent residence permit.

The Bill will also provide for the establishment of a secretariat to the Anti-Trafficking Inter Ministerial Committee and create an Anti-Trafficking in Persons Fund and determine the terms for its use.