With South Africa being among the source, transit and destination country for human trafficking, people are being urged to beware of the signs and dangers surrounding this heinous organised crime.
On 30 July, World Day Against Trafficking in Persons (TIP) was observed, with the theme being: “Victims’ voices lead the way” highlighting the importance of survivor stories and how they can make a positive difference. Romita Hanuman-Pillay, TIP activist and leader of the Trafficking Hub South Africa Movement, said the situation in South Africa was dire. “According to the Trafficking in Persons Report 2021, that is compiled annually by the United States Department of State, as reported over the past five years, human traffickers exploit domestic and foreign victims in South Africa, and traffickers send victims from South Africa to countries abroad. Traffickers recruit victims from poor countries and poor or rural areas within South Africa, particularly Gauteng province, and exploit them in sex trafficking locally and in urban centres, such as Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban, and Bloemfontein.” In relation to South African laws preventing human trafficking, government passed the Prevention and Combating of Trafficking in Persons Act in 2013, however, Hanuman-Pillay said it wasn’t until 2015 that the law came into effect.
“Essentially, the law stipulates that a person will be found guilty of human trafficking if they deliver, recruit, transport, transfer, harbour, sell, exchange, lease or receive another person within or across the borders of SA, through force, deception or coercion. It also states that anyone who adopts a child illegally or forces someone into marriage for some form of exploitation is also guilty of human trafficking.” Hanuman-Pillay cautioned those to also identify with the various forms of human trafficking, and take steps to ensure their personal safety. These types of trafficking include: forced labour, forced criminal activities, sexual exploitation, organ removal and people smuggling. “Victims are often lured by the various social media channels so users are urged not to tag their locations, post pictures of their children and ensure that they post with vigilance in mind. Be careful what you post. Predators are waiting.”
