Ethiopians rescued from slavery

Eighteen victims of human trafficking were rescued en route to destinations in the Gulf countries where they were to be sold as slaves, according to Kenya's Directorate of Criminal Investigations. (BBC)

The victims, all male Ethiopian nationals, were found in a house in Athi River, on the outskirts of the capital, Nairobi, during a raid by detectives from the Transnational Organized Crime Unit .

Three suspects, all of Kenyan nationality, have been arrested, police said.

This comes just a day after Diana Chepkemoi, 24, returned to the country after being subjected to cruelty at the hands of an employer in Saudi Arabia.

She said many other abused Kenyans were trapped in the Middle Eastern country and urged the government to help them.

Kenya's Foreign Ministry Principal Secretary Macharia Kamau said the challenge facing the country was the export of labor as domestic helpers to Saudi Arabia.

“We have repeatedly told Kenyans to stop sending this category of workers to Saudi Arabia. You have chosen not to listen,” Mr. Kamau said.

But Kenyans online have criticized it and the government for its ambivalence over the plight of its citizens working as domestic servants in Saudi Arabia.

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