The Minister for Cabinet Affairs, Stella Ford Mugabo, has urged residents of Kabare Sector, Kayonza District to help fight human trafficking.

She told them to guard against individuals, particularly strangers, who might show up with promises of jobs overseas.

Mugabo, who was visiting to Kayonza on Tuesday, warned that anyone caught in the act will be prosecuted.

She urged residents to help protect young people from human traffickers.

"It is sad that some young girls find themselves in foreign lands doing degrading jobs. Some are subjected to serfdom and sold as property,” she said.

She said the government plans to put in place requisite legal framework to help crack down on human traffickers.

"You must support us to end this vice that is slowly eating up our community. There are clearly defined strategies aimed at dealing with human trafficking but it requires concerted effort to get them implemented,” she said.

Young people easily find themselves victims of human trafficking, where they are forced to work as sex slaves and engage in other humiliating activities, for little money or no pay at all.

Eastern Police Regional spokesman Inspector Damien Rwema said human trafficking is illegal and should not be accepted to take root.

"According to Article 551 of the penal code, human trafficking attracts a sentence of between one to three years when the trafficking is done within the country. Article 252 of the penal code provides for a jail term of up to 15 years when the crime is at the international level.