IMD 2020: JIFORM charges African Union on migrants enslavement

As the world marks the International Migrants Day 2020 to recognize the efforts, contributions and rights of migrants, the African Union (AU) has been admonished by the Journalists International Forum For Migration (JIFORM) to put a stop to the en-slavery of countless African women in the Middle East through the horrible Kafala System.

Kafala is a trade system in the Middle East that encourages the trading of migrants as slave workers in connivance with some countries that part with their female folks in exchange for money. “In this illicit human trading a lot of governments, their officials, cabals and human traffickers have capilterlised on the pitiable state of non-empowered citizens grasping to survive under the harsh economy to sell them to slavery and in return receive kick-backs in dollars from the slave masters.

In a statement issued in Lagos, at the Headquarters of the global migration media body with over 250 members across the continents reporting migration matters on Thursday, the President of JIFORM, Ajibola Abayomi saluted the courage of migrants as economic developers.

He said: “In as much we further social cohesion which is varied and unique to the living conditions of the present 272 million migrants with additional 51 million in 2010 as recorded in 2019 by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) living new lives and building new communities in every corner of the globe, the AU must not close its eyes to the agony of her citizens being sold to slavery in Qatar, Omani, Lebanon, Yemen, Saudi Arabia and others under the guise of seeking employment opportunities.

“AU should muster enough political courage to engage authorities in the Middle East region to abolish the deadly work being foisted on the Africans and in alternative negotiate decent jobs with human face. It is now imperative too to pay attention to those unfavorable economic policies across Africa that are direct drivers for irregular migration to other parts of the world.”

Ajibola added that JIFORM would continue to lead advocacy on protection of all migrants’ workers and their family members and remained committed to the United Nations vision since December 4, 2000 to mobilize political will and resources to address global problems associated with migration and refugee issues, celebrate and reinforce achievements of humanity.

“As documented by the Global Commission on International Migration since 2005, the number of international migrants increased from 75 million to about 200 million in the 30 years suffix to say now that migrants are found in every corner of the world. The reality of this is that all barriers to human migration must be abolished with respect to the right of every sovereign nation” he said.