Local and regional judges tackle human trafficking at colloquium
Local High Court judges, magistrates from the region as well as high profile judges from Kenya and Malawi at the end of September gathered for a colloquium on human trafficking.
The colloquium was part of the U.S. Department of State’s Trafficking in Persons grants and is implemented by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
It was also attended by the Law Reform and Development Commission and the Namibia Law Association.
During the three-day meeting they looked at human trafficking as it affects the SADC region and the legal frameworks for addressing it.
They also explored the indicators of trafficking in persons which is a particularly important angle because human trafficking often is a hidden crime.
Lisa Johnson, U.S Ambassador said the expertise, analysis and decision-making that the participants brought to the colloquium will help ensure that traffickers are punished appropriately for the crimes they commit.
“The importance of accountability cannot be overstated,” she concluded.
Caption: Participants at the opening of the judicial colloquium on human trafficking in Windhoek, seated in from from the left to right, Lindy Muzilla, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime Official, Lisa Johnson, U.S Ambassador, Peter Shivute, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, Hosea Angula, Deputy Judge-President of the High Court and Judge Stephen Radido Okiyo from Kenya.
