The department of Anti-Human Trafficking in the Ministry of Internal Affairs has rescued a total of 52 children that had been allegedly trafficked by a born again pastor in Jinja.
The deputy coordinator against human trafficking in the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Agnes Igoye said that a one Robert Masiga of Christ Is the Answer Church in Jinja was arrested by police after a female victim reported the matter to the authority.
“A very brave 17-year-old victim of trafficking reported a pastor, a one Musiga Robert, who has been allegedly sexually abusing her. She is pregnant at the moment," said Igoye.
Upon investigation, Igoye said that other 32 children claimed the pastor had trafficked children across the country and they mentioned that there were 20 more in another location in which three females are pregnant.
"In total, they are 52, and the youngest is three years. He has been parading that he is taking care of children, yet they had nothing to eat. They are currently in shelters. The pastor has been arrested," she said.
Following the arrest, it was found that the pastor was collecting girls from the districts of Luuka, Tororo and Jinja with a promise of looking after them.
According to the Trafficking in Persons Report from 2020, estimates determined that traffickers are currently exploiting 7,000 to 12,000 children through sex trafficking in Uganda.
The lack of opportunities and access to resources has left young Ugandans who live in rural and underserved areas vulnerable to exploitation, according to activists.