Mombasa has been cited as a transit point in trafficking of human beings locally and internationally.

The promise of a better life abroad was the driving force behind young girls and men looking for white people for marriage, a workshop on human trafficking heard yesterday.

Women from many parts of the country were being recruited into prostitution at the Coast, Ms Beatrice Akinyi, the executive director of Solidarity with Women in Distress (Solwodi), told delegates.

"But once they arrive at the Coast, they look for white men to take them abroad," she said.

Ms Akinyi was speaking during the official launch of a Sh7.2 million two-year programme to sensitise the public on the dangers of human trafficking.

The programme comes at a time when a yet to be released United Nations report indicates that commercial sex exploitation of girls at the Coast was gaining acceptance, with 76.3 per cent of girls interviewed saying the practice was an acceptable means of earning a living.

"The whole network starts when girls leave home to come to the Coast in the guise of looking for a job, they join prostitution - the dream of each woman is to get a white man and be taken abroad," said Ms Akinyi.

She said her organisation was involved in rehabilitation and resettlement of women who have been married abroad and turned into slaves.

A probation officer, Ms Millicent Ngare, told the workshop that she had observed that once prostitutes were rounded up by police and charged in court, "an elegant woman usually appeared and paid their cash bail".

On investigating the matter, said Ms Ngare, it emerged that the prostitutes were employed by the woman, referred to as "mama", and who earned a percentage of what they were paid by their clients.

A representative of the US government, Mr Michael Kamau, said Washington had outlawed trafficking in persons by strengthening the visa rule.

In addition, the Coast Guard was alert to ensure that trafficking in persons did not take place in the USA, he added.

A German social worker attached to Solwodi, Ms Katharina Becker, said her country legalised prostitution four years ago and it had seen an unprecedented rise in the number of brothels.

This had led to the brothel owners looking for women to keep at their businesses, she said.

"Trafficking in persons is on the rise in Germany due to the demand for girls to work in these establishments," she said.

Ms Agnes Mailu, the executive director of Solidarity with Girls in Distress said her organisation helped vulnerable girls from the slums.