The recent report on human trafficking reveals South Sudan remained among the region’s major routes for human trafficking, a situation that has affected its citizens.

The report, released by the International Organization for Migration on May 18, 2021, and titled ‘Trafficking in Person Action Research’, established that 368 South Sudanese citizens have been victims of human trafficking and got intercepted at Sudan and Libya border.

Sabri Wani, a Senior Legal Counsel said women and children were the victims of human trafficking.

In the report, launched in partnership with the South Sudan National Task Force on countering human trafficking and smuggling of migrants, Wani said people were being trafficked into the country and outside the country.

“South Sudan is a source, transit and destination from where children are smuggled into some neighbouring countries into labour, sex slavery, prostitution while others live a slavery life,” he said.

He explained that it was important for people to know the people involved in human trafficking.

“The recruiter usually gains the victim’s trust then sell them for a labour and sometimes the recruiters can be your family member or even a boyfriend, then a trafficker is the one who can control the victim by making the victim fear through abuse and the trafficker gains power over the victim and the victim could be anyone, so this is common,” he explained.

Wani said that based on the report, a number of South Sudanese mainly from Warrap in Northern Bahr el Ghazal State has become a victim of human trafficking through Sudan and Libya.