This archive report was first published on 10 December 2019.
Kenya: Charity Sues Kenya Over Treatment of Trafficked Indian, Nepali Women ¶
Published on December 10, 2019
A charity in Kenya has taken the government to court over the treatment of five women who were trafficked from India and Nepal for sexual exploitation.
The women, aged in their early to mid-twenties, were rescued from a Nairobi bar in August and have been staying in Kenya for months, testifying against their alleged traffickers.
According to Sophie Otiende, programme consultant for HAART Kenya, the women have become deeply traumatised and suicidal, with some being hospitalised.
"After four months, the victims just want to go home," Otiende said. "They have become deeply traumatised and suicidal... some have been hospitalised."
HAART Kenya is suing the government for failing to provide the women with appropriate care and for compelling them to testify against their traffickers.
The charity is also seeking compensation for the expenses incurred in caring for the women, which it says totals over 1.3 million Kenyan shillings ($12,830).
The Kenyan government has denied any wrongdoing, with Elizabeth Mbuka, Head of the Counter Trafficking in Persons Secretariat, saying that no request for funds had been received from HAART Kenya.
However, Mbuka also stated that a court order for the repatriation of the five women had now been given.
The case highlights the growing concern over human trafficking in Kenya, particularly in the adult entertainment industry.
According to anti-trafficking activists and police, a rising number of women and girls are leaving South Asian nations such as Nepal, India, and Pakistan to work in Bollywood-style dance bars in Kenya's adult entertainment industry - many illegally.
