UK Space Agency allocates funds to help fight human trafficking in Uganda

1st Sep 2020

As part of its International Partnership Programme, the UK Space Agency will allocate funds to help fight human trafficking in Uganda. The total budget for this programme is £3.4 million.

The UK Space Agency finances Earth observation satellites to help Uganda fight human trafficking. This project is a part of the International Partnership Programme, aimed to fine-tune internal space tech and help developing countries.

UK Space Agency Anti-trafficking Initiative

The current initiative from UK Space Agency is aimed at stopping human trafficking for forced labour and sexual exploitation. It is part of a global initiative that has a total budget of £3.4 million and includes other humanitarian missions like fighting malaria.

Additional projects under the International Partnership Programme will operate in other developing countries, including Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, Bangladesh, Colombia, and Mexico.

The current anti-trafficking project is called Anti-trafficking using Satellite Technology for Uganda’s Sustainability (ASTUS) and is run by scientists from the University of Nottingham.

The ASTUS initiative is carried out together with Uganda’s government and the UK Space Agency. The idea is to create a modern anti-trafficking support system to monitor any illegal activities. According to officials, the necessary funds have already been released on World Humanitarian Day.

This project is not the only initiative to fight global challenges. The UK Space Agency is taking an active part in developing their own space expertise and sharing knowledge with other countries. Among other International Partnership Programme projects, there is one protecting wildlife in Kenya and another one helping to tackle flooding in Bangladesh.

The same program will also dedicate some of its funds and satellites to help fight malaria across the globe. The UK Space Agency hopes to address this pressing issue. In 2018 alone there were 228 million reported cases as well as 405,000 deaths from malaria.