Lawmakers in the East African Legislative Assembly are moving to confront the growing role of digital tools and organized crime in human trafficking, as they consider a sweeping regional bill aimed at tightening enforcement across borders.
The proposed East African Community Counter-Trafficking in Persons Bill, 2026, introduced this week, seeks to address what legislators describe as an evolving threat driven by technology, migration pressures and criminal networks operating across the region.
“The Bill is to provide for the prevention and combating of trafficking in persons and for the protection, assistance, and reintegration of victims within the Community,” said Rwandan lawmaker Fatuma Ndangiza after tabling the motion.
The legislation comes amid growing concern that traffickers are increasingly exploiting digital recruitment channels and weak coordination between national systems. Lawmakers say fragmented legal frameworks across member states have created loopholes for transnational networks.
Ndangiza warned that trafficking in East Africa has become “one of the most pervasive forms of transnational organised crime,” with the region serving as a source, transit and destination hub.
According to data cited in the legislative process, detected trafficking cases in the region rose by about 25% between 2019 and 2022, with women and girls accounting for the majority of victims, many subjected to sexual exploitation.
The new bill aims to harmonize laws across the East African Community, strengthen cross-border investigations and improve intelligence sharing key gaps that have long been exploited by trafficking networks.
Experts say such coordination is critical in a region where porous borders and labor migration systems are often used to disguise trafficking operations.
The legislation also introduces stronger provisions to counter emerging tactics, including online recruitment schemes and organized criminal syndicates that prey on vulnerable populations seeking jobs abroad or within the region.
Beyond enforcement, the bill incorporates a rights-based approach, requiring member states to provide legal aid, psychological support and reintegration programs for survivors.
It also targets root causes such as poverty, inequality and displacement factors lawmakers say continue to fuel trafficking across East Africa.
The initiative builds on longstanding concerns within the region. As early as 2015, EAC officials described human trafficking as one of the most lucrative global crimes, ranking behind only arms and drug trafficking.
If adopted, the bill would mark one of the most comprehensive regional efforts to combat modern slavery in East Africa, aligning national systems with international standards while adapting to the digital age.
