East Africa: Sophie Otiende
- Hayeon Kwak
- Jan 16
- 4 min read
Updated: Jan 22
In East Africa, 65% of sex trafficking victims between 2003 and 2023 were estimated to be women. From Rwanda to Mozambique to Kenya, women are deceived by promises of better employment, and end up enslaved by abusive human traffickers and inhumane working conditions. Poverty in many small towns in East Africa is exacerbated for women by the socioeconomic barriers driven by gender inequality that keep females unable to earn a sustainable life. The marginalization of East African women in the job market by traditional and sexist social beliefs leaves them more vulnerable and helpless when approached by human traffickers. Many organizations have formed, particularly in Kenya, addressing the human trafficking crisis in the East Africa region. From remarkable survivor-led initiatives such as Azadi Kenya to unique and revolutionary organizations such as Freedom Collaborative, many are trying to undo the violence and inhuman wrongs happening unaddressed in their communities.
Change doesn’t have to come from a government– change can begin from anywhere in the world, with just a click of a mouse, compassion, and determination. If you believe you are a victim of human trafficking from the region or want to donate to the courageous anti-human trafficking organizations in East Africa, refer to the list below.
Human Trafficking Victim Support Organizations in East Africa:
*Please note this is not a complete list. There are many other noble organizations or recovery institutions in need of support.
References
Sophie Otiende
Sophie Otiende was kept in her Uncle’s house, working laboriously day and night but unable to walk to freedom despite an open door. Looking back, Otiende says she does not feel anger toward her Uncle, who enslaved and abused her for almost a year when she was just 13 years old. She strongly believes desperation pushes both victim and trafficker to the scene of the crime, and the modern capitalistic system “places profit above human lives,” allowing vulnerable people to become victims of modern slavery.
After her father lost his job, Sophie Otiende and her family scrambled to survive. They moved to a different neighborhood, skipped meals, and sold car parts, which rendered them unable to drive Sophie to her boarding school 8 hours away. It was not only this poverty and desperation for education that allowed Otiende’s parents to send her away with her Uncle who lived only an hour away from the school. It was trust in a family member.
Sophie Otiende was put to work for her Uncle upon arrival at his house, and she soon realized she would not be taken to school as he promised. For eleven months, she rose with the sun for work, returning to her bed in the dark, only to be sexually abused by another man who lived with her Uncle. The horrific surrealness of her reality numbed her, and she was unable to cry real tears even when alone. It was only when she met a family friend of her mother’s that she broke down and asked for help.
Physically, Sophie Otiende was not bound by chains, or kept from leaving her Uncle’s house. But she was bound by the isolation and unfamiliarity of her Uncle’s hometown, the never-ending cycle of violence kept her from asking for help, and the fear of being caught locked the open doors.
Despite the horrific experience, Ms. Otiende recounted in her article for Global Citizen, her story is not unique. Many children, men, and women Ms. Otiende knew were trafficked for labor or sex. The image of human trafficking victims forced into debt and poorly paying shrimp factories, or sweatshops dominates over the multifaceted truth of modern slavery. Ms. Otiende believes the generalization of the factors involved in human trafficking are what makes the care services today inadequate. The limiting of survivors as victims and data for research isolate them from non-profit and counter-trafficking organizations. A direct result of this is victims who cannot receive the help they need, often struggling to reintegrate to their old lives.
Ms. Otiende now works to address the issue herself. She advocates strongly for survivor-led counter-trafficking and grassroots organizations to work toward a world where victims receive the help they need and deserve. After nearly ten years of working with grassroots organizations to advocate for the rights of trafficking victims and demanding more awareness, Ms. Otiende was recognized as a Trafficking in Persons Report Hero by the US State Department.
Ms. Otiende’s efforts to support trafficked persons around the world are not limited to working with activist organizations. Her bold vulnerability on her platform, Azadi Kenya, one of the first survivor-led counter-trafficking organizations in Kenya, invites audiences into her mindset, dialoguing lessons she learned and taught herself in her recovery journey. Her honest, moving words send a clear message of comfort, camaraderie, and hope to survivors around the world.
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