An 11-year-old boy has been reunited with his family after traffickers abandoned him at a seaport in another country.
The boy was on his way home from school when he was abducted by strangers who pretended to offer him a lift home in their vehicle. Instead, they drove for several hours, transporting the child away from his home country, Kenya, to Uganda.
He was found by international police in an extremely vulnerable situation at a harbour and without any ID.
Isaac Mukumbwa, a social worker at Hope for Justice, said: “The port was close to a police checkpoint in Uganda. It is possible that the traffickers were fearful of the police and decided to abandon the child there. By the time that the police found the child, much time had passed, and the traffickers were nowhere to be found.”
The boy, who we have given the pseudonym name Edward* to protect his identity, told the officers the names of his parents and explained that he had been taken away from his home by people he did not know.
Edward* was taken to a police station in Kampala, Uganda’s capital, and listed as a missing child.
Police then referred him to one of Hope for Justice’s Lighthouses for care and protection. Our Lighthouses are safe havens for children who have been exploited, or who are at risk of modern slavery.
Meanwhile, Interpol’s National Central Bureau (NCB) in Uganda asked the Kenyan NCB for support to find Edward’s parents.
When police managed to locate Edward’s family, arrangements were made for Edward to be repatriated and reunited with them.
One officer wrote: “It is with great pleasure that the child was rescued and can finally reunite with his parents.”
Isaac Mukumbwa added: “Both Kenya and Uganda international police were very grateful for the wonderful support that Hope for Justice gives to survivors of modern slavery. Their praise was based on the story shared by this survivor about the overwhelming care, love and protection that he received whilst staying with our staff at the Lighthouse.”
*Name changed to protect identity of survivor
You can read more stories and case studies on our website at this link: Stories & Case Studies | Hope for Justice.
