South Africa

South Africa is a country located at the southern tip of the African continent. It has a diverse population of around 60 million people and is known for its beautiful landscapes, cultural heritage, and history of apartheid. However, like many countries around the world, South Africa also faces significant challenges related to poverty, inequality, and crime.

In relation to human trafficking, South Africa is considered a source, transit, and destination country for trafficking in persons. Both internal and cross-border trafficking occur in South Africa, with victims often being trafficked for sexual exploitation, forced labor, and forced marriage. South African children are particularly vulnerable to trafficking, with many being forced to work in agriculture, domestic service, and mining, among other sectors.

Despite efforts by the South African government to combat human trafficking, the country continues to face significant challenges in addressing the problem. One of the main obstacles is the lack of effective law enforcement, which means that many traffickers are able to operate with impunity. In addition, poverty and unemployment make many people vulnerable to trafficking, while corruption and collusion among officials and criminal networks make it difficult to identify and prosecute traffickers.

Overall, South Africa is a country that faces significant challenges related to human trafficking. While the government has taken steps to address the problem, more needs to be done to improve law enforcement, protect vulnerable individuals, and hold traffickers accountable. It is also important for civil society organizations, faith-based groups, and other stakeholders to work together to raise public awareness of the problem and to provide support to victims of trafficking.

 

 

Refugees at Risk: UNODC Uncovers Human Trafficking at Camp in Malawi
| | | | | | |

Refugees at Risk: UNODC Uncovers Human Trafficking at Camp in Malawi

(UNODC) and the Malawian Police Service. Now measures are underway to dismantle the human trafficking networks operating within the Dzaleka Refugee Camp, identify and rescue their victims and bring those responsible to justice. “The situation was much worse than we first envisaged,” says UNODC’s Maxwell Matewere, who initially visited the camp in October 2020 where…

Meta Accused Of Human Trafficking and Union-Busting in Kenya – TIME
| | | | |

Meta Accused Of Human Trafficking and Union-Busting in Kenya – TIME

Original article (with video) here. Facebook’s parent company, Meta Platforms, and its largest outsourcing partner in Africa are facing new allegations of forced labor, human trafficking, and union busting in Kenya. Daniel Motaung, a former outsourced Facebook content moderator, filed a lawsuit Tuesday in Nairobi accusing Meta and outsourcing firm Sama of multiple violations of…

The A2J Initiative: The challenges in access to justice for child victims of sexual exploitation in a post COVID-19 era
| |

The A2J Initiative: The challenges in access to justice for child victims of sexual exploitation in a post COVID-19 era

The A2J Initiative: a joint effort of ECPAT Network members in nine countries and the International Secretariat to address the challenges in access to justice and right to remedies for child victims of sexual exploitation in a post COVID era Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, access to justice for child victims of sexual exploitation , […]

The post The A2J Initiative: The challenges in access to justice for child victims of sexual exploitation in a post COVID-19 era appeared first on ECPAT.

Organ Harvesting’s Troubled Past — and Complicated Present
|

Organ Harvesting’s Troubled Past — and Complicated Present

At an international conference on kidney transplantation in 1963, a disagreement broke out about exactly when a patient should be considered dead enough to become an organ donor. One doctor stood up, angrily declaring that he was not “going to just wait around for the medical examiner to declare the patient dead. I’m just going…

A front-row seat to the Nigerian sex trade on a screen near you
|

A front-row seat to the Nigerian sex trade on a screen near you

In a Human Trafficking Prevention Month installment for At the Edge of the Margins, CATW’s Medium publication, Executive Director Taina Bien-Aimé interviews Nigerian Director Kenneth Gyang about his film “Òlòturé,” available now on Netflix. They discuss his inspiration for the critically acclaimed movie, the realities of the Nigerian sex trade, sex trafficking within and from his country, and…

First Person: Fighting human trafficking in Malawi
| | | | | |

First Person: Fighting human trafficking in Malawi

I was a young, recent law graduate when I first experienced the horrors of human trafficking. It was in 1998. I was working for a human rights NGO and attending a workshop in South Africa. A taxi driver told me about two girls from my home country who worked in a bar in Johannesburg. He was very concerned about them.  

Report reveals linkages between human trafficking and forced marriage
| | | | | | |

Report reveals linkages between human trafficking and forced marriage

The agency has published a report which documents the interlinkages between trafficking in persons and marriage, and provides steps for governments and other authorities to strike back. 

Forced labour, prostitution and child marriages: rescuing victims of trafficking in Malawi
| | | | | | |

Forced labour, prostitution and child marriages: rescuing victims of trafficking in Malawi

The six men from Nepal believed they were heading to the United States for work. Instead, after a long journey which took them through six countries, they arrived in Malawi. They were locked in a house and their passports were taken away.