Kenya seeks to reclassify Kenyans held as Ukraine POWs as trafficking victims

NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 8— Kenya is seeking to have its nationals held as prisoners of war in Ukraine designated as victims of human trafficking, in a move the government says…

The State Department for Diaspora Affairs said many of the Kenyans held in Ukraine reported being recruited into Russia’s military under false promises of employment, circumstances it said could meet the definition of trafficking under the UN Palermo Protocol.

The government said the proposed designation would also involve seeking to have their prisoner-of-war status revoked to allow them to access assistance under international standards applicable to trafficking victims.

“In the case of Kenyans held as prisoners of war, many of whom report having been recruited under false promises of employment, it is proposed that, while negotiating their repatriation, consideration be given to their designation as victims of international human trafficking,” Prime Cabinet Secretary and Foreign and Diaspora Affairs CS Musalia Mudavadi said in a response to Parliament.

Source: Capital FM