Cases of trafficking in persons prosecuted at Oshakati have more than tripled, rising from three cases in 2024/2025 to 10 cases in the 2025/2026 reporting period.
Prosecutor General Advocate Martha Imalwa raised the alarm during the commemoration of World Day Against Trafficking in person held in Ongwediva in the Oshana Region.
The Ondangwa Court reported one case on the roll during the 2024/2025 reporting period, which has since increased to three cases during the 2025/2026 reporting period.
In a majority of these cases, the victims are subjected to sexual and labour exploitation.
State Advocate and Prosecutor in the Ministry of Justice Martha Nghiyoonanye raised the alarm.
“It is vital that we strengthen coordinated awareness initiatives as a means of ensuring that stakeholders and the community alike acquire knowledge and understanding of trafficking in persons. When communities are equipped with the knowledge to recognise the signs of human trafficking, they are more likely to identify and report suspicious activities, speak out against exploitation, and take steps to protect themselves and others from becoming victims.”
In a speech read on her behalf, Police Commander of the Oshikoto Region, Commissioner Ndafudha Iifo emphasised that trafficking in persons cannot be addressed without acknowledging the conditions that enable it, such as poverty, inequality, unemployment, and lack of education.
“These challenges call for all public and private sectors and the society at large to join hands with the law enforcement cluster in the fight against trafficking in persons.”
In her keynote address, Gender Equality and Child Welfare Minister Dr. Emma Kantema, in a speech delivered on her behalf noted that unemployment is one of the root causes of trafficking in addition to poverty, inequality, demand for inexpensive labour and restrictive immigration policies.
“In addition to fake job offers, traffickers utilise dating apps and online ads to lure not only women and girls but men as well into online sexual exploitation,” added Kantema.