Trafficking a clear and present danger

30/07/2015 Tshwane leadership and other members of the public marched against human traficking in Synnyside. Picture:Nicolite Ngwenyama

30/07/2015 Tshwane leadership and other members of the public marched against human traficking in Synnyside. Picture:Nicolite Ngwenyama

Published Aug 1, 2015

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Pretoria - Aged just 19, an HIV-positive woman was trafficked by a Nigerian man and introduced to prostitution in Pretoria.

The woman came from a poor family in the Free State and was promised she would be enrolled at a tertiary institution in the capital.

Unfortunately, the promise never materialised when she arrived in the city.

Instead, she was forced to sleep with four to five men a day and the money she made went to her pimp.

The woman was rescued by police and taken to caregivers at The Potters House, a shelter for abused women and children.

She had been rehabilitated, but refused to open a case against her perpetrator out of fear that she might be killed.

Her story was told during a march in Sunnyside on Thursday to raise awareness of human trafficking.

The march was to mark World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, the international campaign launched last year by the UN to observe July 30 as a day for raising awareness about human trafficking.

The theme for this year was Be Alert, Be Involved and Be Responsible.

The march started in Arcadia and then proceeded to Sunnyside’s Jubilee Park, where participants voiced their concerns about the growing trend of trafficking people.

Marchers wielded placards bearing the anti-trafficking messages.

Victims were encouraged to report their perpetrators to law enforcement units such as the police and Hawks, they said.

Organisers said the campaign was hosted in Sunnyside because the problem was rife in the area.

Maris Mytte, deputy director for the victims employment programme in social development, said the area was also troubled by drug trafficking and prostitution.

She said the department was working in partnership with the 26 non-governmental organisations in Gauteng to prevent the problem.

Letty Mayephu, of The Potters House, said it was difficult to resolve cases of human trafficking.

She said most of the victims were scared to seek assistance because traffickers often threaten to take their lives.

“The problem is serious in South Africa and the situation is made worse by the fact that many victims are not even aware they are being trafficked,” she said.

In a month, her organisation dealt with at least one case of human trafficking, she said.

Hawks Major-General Liziwe Ntshingisa said human trafficking was a growing trend.

She said the problem was a hard nut to crack because victims were often reluctant to act against perpetrators.

She attributed the problem to transnational organised crime that targeted women from other countries and lured them into South Africa.

However, she indicated that not all was doom and gloom as most cases of trafficking that have been to court resulted in convictions of perpetrators.

She said in 2013/2014 a total of 23 human trafficking cases were investigated.

Only 17 cases were reported in the latest financial year.

A total of 42 victims were rescued during 2014/2015, she said.

Students from the Tshwane University of Technology performed a drama that demonstrated how easily young women could be lured by unsuspecting pimps.

Pretoria News Weekend

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