Plenty of hearts but no soul: Yemen's organ traffickers rake in big bucks
Published December 13th, 2012 - 10:06 GMT via <
http://www.syndigate.info>
SyndiGate.info
Sana'a Security forces declared that they arrested a group of human organ
traffickers on Tuesday.
In recent years, security has arrested several traffickers who are often
part of wider networks that are taking advantage of
<
http://www.albawaba.com/editorchoice/yemen-akhdam--455461> harsh economic
conditions in Yemen.
Colonel Mohammed Al-Sobari, the manager of Public relations in Yemen's
Criminal Investigation Department told the Yemen Times that the absence of
a law deterring human organ trafficking in Yemen has led to a spread of the
phenomena.
"The government tried in the past to deny the existence of such activity but
later confessed that this has become a problem," he said.
Al-Sobari revealed that there are gangs working in Yemen that exploit women
and children to sell their organs.
He confirmed that Yemen's Criminal Investigation Department is determined to
fight this phenomenon. "We've formed a national committee to limit the
actions of human organ trafficking. We're also preparing for a Yemen-wide
strategy to deter the gangs who exploit Yemenis' suffering and pain."
Al-Sobari pointed out that some Yemenis are ready to sell their kidneys due
to difficult economic conditions. He also indicated that the hospital which
currently works with traffickers in Egypt has removed kidney and other
organs from Yemeni victims without their knowledge when they were under
anesthetic.
According to Nabil Fadhil, the head of the <
http://yocht.org/?lang=en>
Yemeni Organization for Combating Human Trafficking, said unemployment,
ignorance and extreme poverty are the main reasons behind trafficking human
organs in Yemen.
Speaking to the Yemen Times, Fadhil said that there is a large network of
trafficking human organs working in Egypt and Yemen. "This network has
trafficked about 300 Yemenis while the security foiled more than 200
attempts of trafficking human organs in Sana'a airport."
He revealed that another Jordanian network is working in Yemen to provide
organs to a hospital in Egypt, pointing out that brokers and middle men take
advantage of this illegal but lucrative trade.
"Those brokers are paid $2,000 in return for providing the hospital with one
human organ. The person who sells their organ is paid about $5,000 while the
hospital sells one organ for up to $50,000."
The security in Yemen has played a significant role in fighting the
phenomenon and foiling various trafficking attempts, according to Fadhil.
"Unfortunately, those brokers exploit the harsh financial situation Yemenis
are currently facing and convince them to sell their organs," he said. "We
should put a limit on this phenomenon that trades in our suffering."
In 2009, the security sparked the issue when it declared for the first time
that it arrested a network of traffickers from Egypt and Jordan.
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Received on Thu Dec 13 2012 - 12:03:52 EST
