Gov’t Sued over Nepalese, Indian Women Trafficked into Kenya for Sex

An NGO has sued the Kenyan government accusing it of failing to protect foreigners who were allegedly trafficked into the country for sexual exploitation.

Awareness Against Human Trafficking (HAART) claims that the government failed to provide appropriate care for five Indian and Nepalese women trafficked into Kenya for sexual exploitation.

“After four months, the victims just want to go home. They have become deeply traumatized and suicidal. Some have been hospitalized and we have filed a complaint against the government so that all victims of trafficking are not compelled to testify, and the government pays for their speedy and safe repatriation,” Sophie Otiende, program consultant for HAART Kenya told Reuters.

The alleged victims were rescued from a bar in Nairobi in August this year and have been allegedly forced to testify against the said traffickers. This has caused them ‘psychological harm’, according to HAART, which is seeking to have the government pay up to Sh1.3 million for failing in their responsibility.

But the Head of the Counter-Trafficking in Persons Secretariat Elizabeth Mbuka has denied the claims saying that no request for funds had been received from HAART and that if approached they would have considered them. Ms. Mbuka also noted that a court order for the repatriation of the Nepalese and Indian women had been given.

Many girls have in the recent past left South Asian countries including Nepal, India, and Pakistan under the illusion that they will make money through dancing in Kenyan bars, according to Reuters. The business is apparently fronted in Nairobi, Mombasa, and Kisumu, where large numbers of Kenyans of South Asian descent live.