South Africa has become a notorious hot spot in the trade of human slavery.
Human trafficking is when a child or adult is taken away from their home on the basis of lies and false promises.
People who fall victim to trafficking are then “held hostage” by criminals who keep their passports and get them addicted to drugs and booze.
Girls are bought and sold to work as domestics and prostitutes.
Boys are used as drug peddlers, beggars and in criminal activity.
According to reports by the Central Intelligence Agency in America and the US Department of State, most victims of human trafficking pass through our country’s borders while on their way to their final destination.
Trafficking in persons is a form of modern-day slavery where victims are forced or bullied into labour or sexual exploitation.
The International Labor Organization – a branch of the UN charged with addressing labour standards, employment and social protection issues – estimates that about 12 million people across the world are forced into slave labour, child labour and prostitution.
*This article was published in the Daily Voice