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A report on National Human Rights Institution’s (NHRIs) work to evaluate and monitor state anti-trafficking responses in the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) area

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The Global Alliance Against Traffic in Women (GAATW) is an Alliance of more than 90 non-governmental organisations from all regions of the world. The GAATW International Secretariat is based in Bangkok, Thailand, and coordinates the activities of the Alliance, collects and disseminates information, and advocates on behalf of the Alliance at regional and international level. Read more...

Safe Migration for Kenyan Athletes and Other Migrants a Necessity
By Nkirote Laiboni, GAATW-IS
(This article also appeared in Kenya Imagine.com)

About 6 months ago, I met a young man at the Kenyan Embassy in Bangkok, Thailand. This young Kenyan, let’s call him Korir, had found himself in a bit of a tight situation which he hoped the good people at the embassy would help sort out. Korir, who couldn’t have been more than 20 years, had left Kenya a few weeks prior to our meeting to compete in the inaugural Standard Chartered Kuala Lumpur marathon in Malaysia on June 28, 2009. His motivation, of course, was the $20,000 (KSH 1, 521,000) cash prize and gold medal that the winner of the 42 KM full marathon course would secure.

Unfortunately for Korir, the first, second and third places – and their accompanying prizes - in the men’s full marathon went to his compatriots Julius Ndiritu Karinga, Nelson Kirwa Rotich and Armon Kipchirir Kemei respectively. Even more unfortunate was that his agent, who had organized Korir’s travel to Asia for a fee, had conveniently forgotten to tell him that his flight ticket was only good for his journey from Kenya to Malaysia but not for his return home.

How he was able to travel outside Kenya on a one-way ticket is anyone’s guess and beyond the scope of this article. However, Korir did prove the bottomless resourcefulness of Kenyans: on discovering an opportunity to redeem himself at the July 2009 Pattaya Marathon, the athlete took a train from Malaysia to Central Thailand. This was a feat in itself as Korir had never before travelled outside Kenya, let alone from one foreign country to another. Korir hoped that he would win some money from the Pattaya Marathon not only to buy his return ticket to Kenya but also to improve his livelihood once he got home. The gods were not smiling on Korir, for yet again, he lost the race and the coveted 200,000 baht (KSH 400,000) cash prize to his fellow citizen Micah Kipserem Chuma. With no return ticket and no money to survive on, Korir went to the Kenyan embassy in Bangkok for assistance.
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