Harare, (New Ziana) – The Government is concerned about escalating cases of migrant smuggling and human trafficking, and urges the public to be vigilant by verifying overseas job offers through licensed recruitment agencies and official channels, and refuse to surrender passports or personal documents to agents or employers.
It also warned against payment of recruitment fees to individuals advertising on social media platforms that are increasingly being used by traffickers to lure unsuspecting citizens into exploitative situations both locally and abroad.
In a statement, the Ministry of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage said numerous cases had been recorded involving Zimbabwean women trafficked to Middle Eastern countries such as Saudi Arabia, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), where they were promised safe working conditions, including good salaries and legal work permits.
“Human trafficking and migrant smuggling have escalated into a serious national concern in Zimbabwe, with social media platforms becoming the primary hunting ground for traffickers and fraudulent recruiters. Under the guise of legitimate overseas employment in sectors such as nursing, teaching, domestic work, and social care, traffickers continue to lure unsuspecting Zimbabweans — particularly women and girls — into exploitative situations abroad.
“Victims are often promised good salaries, legal work permits, and safe working environments. Instead, many are subjected to forced labour, domestic servitude, sexual exploitation, and sex trafficking. Passports are frequently confiscated, movement restricted, and victims threatened with arrest, violence, or harm to their families if they attempt to escape,” the Ministry said.
It highlighted some of the cases that had been recorded involving the Middle Eastern countries, where Zimbabwean women were physically and emotionally abused, threatened with deportation, and trapped in cycles of exploitation.
“In Saudi Arabia, victims who were promised caregiving or teaching jobs were allegedly forced into domestic servitude, transferred between households without their consent, and exposed to sexual abuse, while some were threatened with detention or deportation if they reported their ordeal.
“In the UAE, fraudulent agents lured victims with promises of hotel, salon, or childcare jobs. Some were later coerced into forced labour or sex work to repay inflated recruitment “debts”, leaving them trapped in cycles of exploitation. In Oman, Zimbabwean women recruited online for domestic work have reported being locked inside homes, denied wages, forced to work long hours, and subjected to physical and emotional abuse after their identity documents were seized,” the Ministry added.
The Ministry highlighted that the impact of human trafficking and migrant smuggling extend beyond individual victims and have devastating consequences for families, communities and the nation at large.
Victims of trafficking often endure severe physical injuries, sexual and gender-based violence, and deep psychological trauma, including depression and long-term mental health challenges. Many return home stigmatized, ill, and without any financial gain.
At the community level, trafficking erodes trust, heightens vulnerability among unemployed youth, and normalizes unsafe migration practices. It also exposes communities to organized criminal networks, further undermining social cohesion and security.
Nationally, these crimes weaken efforts to promote safe labour migration, fuel organized crime, and contribute to brain drain in critical sectors such as health and education.
New Ziana
