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It Will Take Concerted Efforts to Combat Human Trafficking

Human trafficking is the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of a person (a woman, man or a child), often over international borders but also frequently within the boundaries of a single country, for ‌exploitation.

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In recent years, human trafficking has become a global menace. Human trafficking is not only a violation of human rights but also a crime. It involves the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of a person (a woman, man or a child), often over international borders but also frequently within the boundaries of a single country, for ‌exploitation.

Poverty remains the biggest driver of human trafficking with Kenya being a hotspot in the region. Now more than ever, more people are at risk of human trafficking thanks to the skyrocketing prices of goods, the climate change crisis, and the COVID-19 pandemic. Since the onset of the pandemic, millions of people globally have been out of work and children out of school plunging them further into poverty. 

According to a 2017 study by the International Labour Organization (ILO) that was titled Global Estimates on Modern Slavery, 40 million people were victims of Human trafficking, with 25 per cent being children. In addition, statistics released by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in the 2020 Global Report on Trafficking in Persons indicate that one-third of all the detected human trafficking victims are children and that this figure has tripled over the past 15 years. 

While anyone can be a victim of human trafficking, women and girls are predominantly targeted, with victims being forced into marriage including child marriage, domestic servitude and even forced labour. Several interventions have been made, including the enactment of the Kenya Counter Trafficking in Persons Act in 2012. The act has provisions for penalties between five years to life imprisonment for perpetrators of human trafficking. Further, through increased collaboration between governments, NGOs and various foreign governments many human trafficking victims have been rescued. Despite these efforts, much more needs to be done to put an end to human trafficking.

It will take collaborative efforts to have a society free of human trafficking. None of us is powerless. As an employer, journalist, family member, colleague, or neighbour, you have the power to act against human trafficking. Employers can give job opportunities to vulnerable youth or employ survivors of trafficking after their TVET graduation. Those decisions can be life-changing!

READ ALSO: 7 ways to protect your child from child traffickers

For the Media, uncovering and exposing this crime and giving voice to survivors without stereotyping is a significant contribution. As for the public, it is important to educate oneself on the issues, stay informed and support at least with their voice. Migrant workers have a role to play too by gaining information on safe travels/migration and rescue channels before they leave the country. 

Daily experiences at the Awareness Against Human Trafficking (HAART) Kenya, show that family members play a crucial role in the decision to migrate. If hopeful onboardings have led to abuse and exploitation, family members’ support is crucial for successful reintegration and avoiding re-trafficking. 

The place of technology in relation to human trafficking is also not to be ignored. As the world commemorated the Day Against Trafficking in Person this year under the theme of Use and abuse of technology, it was clear that technology is both a curse and a blessing as it can enable and frustrate efforts to end human trafficking. The Covid-19 pandemic has increased the demand for the internet with many people working from home and children doing online studies. With the easy access to the internet globally and numerous social sites available, it has become much easier to connect with anyone in any part of the world. Predators have infiltrated the internet and are using popular social sites such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok and WhatsApp to recruit, exploit and control victims and especially children. As such, parents and guardians must monitor closely the online activities of children. You can do this by allocating a limit of time when children can be online and blocking any harmful sites or websites on their devices.

Technology also offers opportunities that law enforcers and all other stakeholders within the human trafficking space can leverage to end human trafficking. 

HAART Kenya is dedicated to ending all forms of human trafficking. Anyone undergoing or witnessing human trafficking can reach out to HAART Kenya’s helpline on +254 780 211 113.

The article was written by Winnie Mutevu, a Programs Manager Awareness Against Human Trafficking (HAART) Kenya.

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Opinion

Caught Between Two Worlds: The Struggle of Identity

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At home, she is quiet. Her voice softens, her words are measured, and her laughter is controlled. She does not question, she does not challenge, and she certainly does not explain herself too much. Respect comes first, and obedience follows closely behind.

But step outside that gate, and she transforms. On campus, she speaks freely, debates openly, and laughs without holding back. She shares opinions that would never survive within the walls of her home. In that space, she is not just a daughter; she is a person.

Somewhere between these two worlds, she is tired.

Many young people today are growing up in the space between deeply rooted traditions and rapidly evolving modern expectations. At home, the values are respect, discipline, and structure. Outside, the world demands confidence, self-expression, and independence. Both sides are valid, both sides are real, but living in both at once comes at a cost.

It is the cost of constantly adjusting, constantly editing, constantly becoming different versions of yourself depending on where you are. For some, it shows up in small ways; changing how they dress before leaving home, filtering their language mid-sentence or hiding parts of their personality to fit into different spaces.

For others, it runs deeper. It becomes a quiet internal conflict, a question that lingers longer than it should: Which version of me is the truth?

This struggle is rarely loud. It does not always come with rebellion or confrontation. Instead, it settles into everyday life. In hesitation before speaking, in carefully chosen words, and in the emotional distance that slowly grows between parents and children who no longer feel fully understood.

Parents, on the other hand, are not wrong. They are raising their children the only way they know how, guided by culture, experience, and the desire to protect. To them, discipline is love, structure is safety, and the outside world can feel unpredictable.

But the world their children are stepping into is not the same one they grew up in. It rewards boldness, values individuality, and encourages questioning.

And so, a silent tension builds because there is a gap in understanding, not because there is no love.

Some young people learn to balance both worlds. They become translators of culture; respectful at home and expressive outside. But even this balance can be like a performance, one that requires constant effort and constant awareness.

Others begin to pull away out of exhaustion because living two lives, no matter how well managed, is still living divided.

The real question is not whether tradition or modernity is right or wrong. It is whether there is space for conversation between the two.

Because somewhere in the middle is a generation not trying to reject where they come from, but simply trying to exist fully within where they are going.

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Opinion

Caught Between Two Worlds: The Struggle of Identity

Published

on

At home, she is quiet. Her voice softens, her words are measured, and her laughter is controlled. She does not question, she does not challenge, and she certainly does not explain herself too much. Respect comes first, and obedience follows closely behind.

But step outside that gate, and she transforms. On campus, she speaks freely, debates openly, and laughs without holding back. She shares opinions that would never survive within the walls of her home. In that space, she is not just a daughter; she is a person.

Somewhere between these two worlds, she is tired.

Many young people today are growing up in the space between deeply rooted traditions and rapidly evolving modern expectations. At home, the values are respect, discipline, and structure. Outside, the world demands confidence, self-expression, and independence. Both sides are valid, both sides are real, but living in both at once comes at a cost.

It is the cost of constantly adjusting, constantly editing, constantly becoming different versions of yourself depending on where you are. For some, it shows up in small ways; changing how they dress before leaving home, filtering their language mid-sentence or hiding parts of their personality to fit into different spaces.

For others, it runs deeper. It becomes a quiet internal conflict, a question that lingers longer than it should: Which version of me is the truth?

This struggle is rarely loud. It does not always come with rebellion or confrontation. Instead, it settles into everyday life. In hesitation before speaking, in carefully chosen words, and in the emotional distance that slowly grows between parents and children who no longer feel fully understood.

Parents, on the other hand, are not wrong. They are raising their children the only way they know how, guided by culture, experience, and the desire to protect. To them, discipline is love, structure is safety, and the outside world can feel unpredictable.

But the world their children are stepping into is not the same one they grew up in. It rewards boldness, values individuality, and encourages questioning.

And so, a silent tension builds because there is a gap in understanding, not because there is no love.

Some young people learn to balance both worlds. They become translators of culture; respectful at home and expressive outside. But even this balance can be like a performance, one that requires constant effort and constant awareness.

Others begin to pull away out of exhaustion because living two lives, no matter how well managed, is still living divided.

The real question is not whether tradition or modernity is right or wrong. It is whether there is space for conversation between the two.

Because somewhere in the middle is a generation not trying to reject where they come from, but simply trying to exist fully within where they are going.

For more, click HERE to join our WhatsApp channel!

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News

Elon Musk’s Dilemma: Does Money Actually Lead to Happiness?

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Elon Musk, widely regarded as the richest person on the planet, has once again stirred conversation online, this time about the true value of money.

His net worth is estimated at $841.1 billion, making him the first person in history to surpass the $800 billion mark. His record-breaking wealth was driven by a major boost in valuation after SpaceX acquired his artificial intelligence company, xAI.

The tech billionaire echoed a belief many find ironic, coming from someone of his wealth status, that money does not necessarily lead to happiness.

Taking to X, Musk wrote,

“Whoever said ‘money can’t buy happiness’ really knew what they were talking about,” punctuating the post with a sad face emoticon.

The brief message quickly gained traction, prompting a wave of reactions that ranged from thoughtful reflections to sharp criticism.

Some users questioned how the statement could resonate with ordinary people. One comment read,

“If you are not happy, what hope do we have? Another added, “but it will certainly make the sadness bearable to a certain extent”. Others were more direct, calling for action rather than reflection: “Give the money to the poor and the sick as a form of humanitarian aid to poor countries”.

Several responses attempted to strike a balance between realism and philosophy. @TomolagGroup shared a longer perspective, stating,

“Money can solve urgent problems and relieve stress, but beyond the basics, money doesn’t guarantee happiness. Wealth is a tool to buy time and freedom, which truly matters: health, relationships, and purpose. build it to live, not to fill the void.”

Humour also found its way into the discussion. One user quipped, “So true, money doesn’t matter at all, you should give me 10 million dollars.”

Can money actually buy happiness?

It’s a sentiment usually echoed by those who have plenty of it and those who have none at all. But as the global economy shifts and the cost of existing rises, a more honest narrative is emerging that money may not be the source of joy, but it is certainly the scaffolding upon which a happy life is built.

If we view happiness as a state of well-being, the link to financial security becomes undeniable.

Safety net

At its most basic level, money buys the absence of misery. It is difficult to pursue purpose or self-actualisation when you are operating in survival mode. Research suggests that wealth provides:

  • The ability to leave a toxic job, move out of an unsafe neighborhood, or choose how to spend your time.

  • Access to better nutrition, preventative healthcare, and the mental bandwidth that comes from not worrying about the next bill.

  • The ultimate luxury. Money allows you to outsource chores (cleaning, cooking, commuting) to spend more time with loved ones.

Ultimately, money is a multiplier. If you are fundamentally lonely or lacking purpose, a billion dollars will likely only make you comfortably miserable.  To claim that wealth has no bearing on happiness ignores the reality of human stress.

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