This Women’s Month, the Brighton Beach SAPS embarked on a campaign to encourage the reporting of human trafficking and the perpetrators behind this heinous crime.
Heading the campaign was Captain Louise Le Roux from the Brighton Beach SAPS, who said: “It is imperative that we educate ourselves on matters relating to human trafficking while becoming an active participant in the fight against this crime.” Le Roux hosted a brochure campaign, as part of the station’s Women’s Month operational activities focussing on human trafficking. A total of 350 educational brochures were researched and developed by Le Roux and distributed at the Bluff Hill Side Mall.
“Human trafficking can be defined as the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of a person, by means of threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, abduction, fraud, deception, abuse of power, position of vulnerability, giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person or having the control over another person for the purpose of exploitation. Human trafficking in its many forms exists due to individuals being vulnerable to exploitation. Victims of human trafficking are people of all ages, genders, races, countries, religious believers and socio-economic statuses,” she said.
The brochure highlighted some categories of human trafficking which include sexual exploitation, forced labour, debt bondage, domestic servitude, organ harvesting and child exploitation.
Le Roux said some of the causes for human trafficking may include; abduction, falsified immigrations, poverty, unemployment, homelessness, war, natural disasters, demand for cheap labour, civil unrest, lack of access to employment, family disruption or dysfunction and economic disruption. “Through the hosting of a campaign that had educational value, the strategic objectives of the Brighton Beach SAPS were achieved by conditioning civilians on a prevailing threat that exists within all societies,” she added.
To report individuals who you suspect are in the business of human trafficking, or get help for someone who you suspect is being trafficked, you can contact the following organisations: Human Trafficking Resources on 0800-222-777 or via email at Trafficking@saps.gpv.za. CrimeStop can be reached on 08600-10111 or utilise their SMS hotline on 32211.
