‘The reality of human trafficking’ 26 September 2020

More than 53% of the population is vulnerable to trafficking. The reality is that less than 1% of victims are ever rescued. This is according to anti-human trafficking non-profit organisation, A21. The A21 website says: “South Africa is known as a source, transit, and destination country, with an estimated 155 000 people enslaved. The beauty and perception of economic prosperity lure people from all over Africa and Asia with the promise of a better life.” Researchers said they had seen many different forms of exploitation in South Africa, from forced labour on farms, fishing trawlers, and in domestic servitude to sexual exploitation on the streets and behind closed doors in illegal brothels.

…Embrace Dignity was founded in 2010 to advocate for the abolitionist Equality Law, to address the exploitation of women and girls by the system of prostitution. “The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) estimates 2.5 million victims worldwide. Since human trafficking is a hidden crime, statistics on identified trafficking victims only reveal a small part of the problem, and the actual number of victims can only be estimated through statistical techniques,” said Madlala-Routledge. She added the rise in unemployment and deepening poverty under Covid-19 exacerbated the situation.

…“The overwhelming majority of human trafficking victims are women and girls, most of whom are bought and sold in the multi-billion dollar sex trade, where they suffer extreme violence at the hands of exploiters, including sex buyers. “Women and girls trafficked for forced labour are equally vulnerable to sexual exploitation and violence,” said Madlala-Routledge. Juanita van Heerden, S-CAPE Director said the most common method of recruitment was: – False job opportunities: Being promised a job in Cape Town or other cities. – “Loverboy method”: This is when the trafficker/pimp gets the lady to fall in love with him and then after some time forces her into prostitution.