Zimbabwe: 'Consult Before Migrating'

allAfrica.com: Zimbabwe: 'Consult Before Migrating'

14 May 2009

Harare — ZIMBABWEAN youths have been urged to consult widely before deciding to relocate to other countries, given the dangers involved in irregular migration.

In a speech read on her behalf by her deputy, Minister of Labour and Social Welfare, Paurina Gwanyanya-Mpariwa, said migration had resulted in family dislocations and disintegration, coupled with distorted living standards in foreign countries.

Officiating at a schools debate programme on migration in Kuwadzana yesterday, the minister, in a speech read for her by her deputy, Mrs Tracy Mutinhiri, said young girls had been exposed to human traffickers and bogus agents who exploited their desperation with promises of better lives abroad.

"These syndicates obtain travel documents and visas for the girls. On arrival they take custody of the travel documents and link them up with sex industry operatives thus rendering them sex slaves," she said.

Children should never be taken as passive participants on issues that affected their well being.

She said there were countries that had benefited from migration with significant percentages of their budgets catered for by remittances of their nationals in the Diaspora.

"Zimbabwe cannot be left out in that discourse and I am glad to inform you that we are exploring the possibility of exploiting the benefits of the migration and development nexus through a migration and development unit in the Ministry of Economic Planning and Investment Promotion," she said.

The debate programme was designed to afford school children a platform to exchange ideas on migration.