Trafficking in persons is still one of South Africa’s most brutal realities that, unfortunately, still looms and compromises the safety of women and children.
To address this modern slavery that is rapidly increasing in Gauteng which affects vulnerable people and families, the Gauteng Department of Social Development took the ‘Trafficking in Person’ awareness campaign to Khayelitsha informal settlement in Kliprivier, Sedibeng the previous Thursday.
According to the Deputy Director Finance and NPO Partnership, Mamojapele Malimabe human trafficking is still a major concern and one of the fastest-growing social ills. She said the department decided to bring the campaign to the informal settlement because traffickers mostly target vulnerable people.
“We are here to educate and raise awareness on human trafficking so that you do not become next victims. Be aware of tricks used to lure especially women and children and report any suspicion of people being trafficked” said Malimabe.
“People are trafficked through false job opportunities, issues of unemployment make people easily fall in the traps,” she added.
Seipati Motlabane of Victims Empowerment Programme (VEP) Directorate nearly had a brush with human trafficking when she had just qualified as a Social Worker. She was offered to work in London. She luckily, stalled in giving the ‘recruiter’ her Identity document to get a VISA.
“Human trafficking knows no status, race or colour of your skin, anyone can fall in the trap” she added. “
One resident, Mokete Sibeko (72) from Boitumelo, Kliprivier criticised the Community Police Forums (CPF) of not being active and effective, and weighed in that the criteria in choosing candidates of the CPF should be reliable and efficient. We need literate people who know their story, not people who commit crimes themselves” he reiterated.
He further alluded that whistle blowers are not safe and the community hardly receives feedback on reported cases. All they see is perpetrators roaming the community and repeating their offences.
The campaign was part of Social Development’s adoption of a comprehensive prevention strategy to prevent human trafficking as stipulated in the Trafficking in Person’s Act 7 of 2013.
Source: Gauteng Province