Kitgum District Stakeholders Trained on Human Trafficking

16 September 2025, 10:36 am

By Otim Moses

The Coordination Officer for Prevention of Trafficking in Persons from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, in collaboration with UNDP under the Spotlight Initiative, has trained Kitgum district stakeholders on combating human trafficking.

The two-day training, held from Wednesday 10th to Thursday 11th September 2025, focused on the 4Ps approach — Prevention, Prosecution, Protection, and Partnership.

The purpose of the training was to equip trusted local actors, including social workers, faith-based organizations, and community leaders, with the skills and knowledge necessary to raise awareness, improve case identification and referrals, and strengthen community-led response mechanisms.

Mr. Twinomujuni Julius, the Commissioner of Police in charge of Human Trafficking and also the National Coordinator for Prevention of Trafficking in Persons, said human trafficking remains high in Kitgum district. He noted that participants made several recommendations to combat the vice, such as: Media engagement and sensitization of both local government workers and communities. Mainstreaming anti-trafficking activities into government programs, reaching out to schools through debates, poems, and drama. , Encouraging communities to embrace government poverty alleviation programs such as the Parish Development Model (PDM), Intensifying sensitization on gender-based violence.

Commissioner Twinomujuni revealed that human trafficking cases have steadily increased over the years, 421 cases in 2021, 1,200 cases in 2022, 1,006 cases in 2023, 1,068 cases in 2024, representing 15–16% prevalence. He further explained that women and girls are disproportionately affected, constituting between 60% and 80% of trafficking victims compared to men.

He called upon communities to work together with government and partners to prevent human trafficking, stressing the importance of continuous sensitization at the grassroots level.