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"id": 101446,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/101446/?format=api",
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"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Mr. Shakeel",
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"speaker": {
"id": 140,
"legal_name": "Ahmed Shakeel Shabbir Ahmed",
"slug": "shakeel-shabbir"
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"content": "Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, it does not have to be much money, but there should be a standard figure to show commitment by this Government, and the country at large, that we intend to tackle this issue of human trafficking. A proposal has been made by the Minister that we should be able to get them facilities, retrain them, et cetera, but the issue of funding does not seem to be there. My fear is that if there will be no sufficient funding, this thing will fall between two stones. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I am sure that the other issue I wanted to talk about is covered, but I cannot see it. What about those babies who are snatched from maternity homes and given to other people? There was a very interesting documentary on this subject, not a long time ago. I hope that the Bill will cover that aspect. I am sure that the issue of students abroad is also covered but what do we really need to do, especially about those people who are taken abroad under deception, and who find themselves out there? It is unfortunate that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and our Missions abroad are unable to do much, because they do not have adequate funding for such issues. That is why I feel that the Trust Fund is very important. I also feel that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs should be involved, through this Bill, through a provision which says that people being misused in, say, Saudi Arabia, and elsewhere, should be repatriated. Repatriation should be the responsibility of the country. I know that people go out there on their own free will but there are times when we have to protect our citizens, no matter where they are. That is why I feel that a repatriation clause should be there. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, we have also faced cases of people who have passed away out of the country. I know that this Bill may not cover such a situation but, when it comes to that, the body is not allowed to be transported back to this country for post-mortem, and is buried very quickly in some countries. I am also not sure how children who are employed as house servants are going to be covered in this Bill. You know, there is deception on the protocols. Many families are very good to such children, and actually adopt them literally, but many families also actually misuse such children. They torture them physically and mentally. It is not clear in this Bill as to what the distinction will be, and who will make that call as to whether a child has been abducted or brought here against her will, or bonded and kept here against her will. If that be the case, who will be charged? Will it be the mother of the home which brought the child from the village or the parent of the child who thought that this lady would take care of her? That is another question. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, as much as we would not want to admit it, in this country, there is what is called âbonded labourâ. People are bonded in various forms. I have been to certain tea estates, and I have seen how high the level of poverty is. People working there may not be bonded as it used to be in the past, but they are bonded by economic circumstances. So, we also want to know how we are going to deal with people who in essence are bonded through not being paid enough, or through their wages being deducted unfairly for housing and other costs and, therefore, ending up getting as little as Kshs1,200 per month, which may not be enough money for them to go back home or start a new life. Finally, within this Bill, there should be the issue of DNA profiling, so that we start keeping a record of cases and be able to follow them through on DNA profiling where there are rampant cases of child abuse and trafficking. With those remarks, I beg to support."
}