The rising trade of human organs "has reached an epidemic level, yet it is receiving much of public silence," Nigerian human rights lawyer Frank Tietie told DW. Citing a report from Global Financial Integrity, he highlighted that the trafficking in persons for organ removal generates between $840 million and $1.7 billion annually, emphasizing the discrepancy between the high demand for organs and the severe shortage of legal donors.
"You one would have expected the level of public condemnation against it would have been much higher, but that's not the case," Tietie remarked, pointing to a serious issue of public apathy toward the human organ trafficking epidemic. He expressed concern that motivations behind organ donations are often primarily economic rather than altruistic, stating that many individuals are compelled to sell their organs due to poverty.
"People are either selling their organs or certain medical personnel, particularly doctors, that are unscrupulous..." Tietie noted, shedding light on the unethical practices within medical professions contributing to the organ trade crisis. In Kenya, the Kenyatta National Hospital publicly declared, "We Don't Buy Kidneys!" in response to an alarming number of inquiries about the price of kidneys, indicating the normalization of organ commodification.
Willis Okumu, a researcher, pointed out that not all 'irregular' transplants are forced. His research in Eldoret revealed that some young men are willing to sell their kidneys for quick money, highlighting the desperate circumstances some individuals face, driven by economic hardship.
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