‘She Is Safe’, a book which was launched at the weekend tells the untold stories of the heroes and survivors of human trafficking.
The book is written by, Emma van der Walt, who is the founder of Brave to Love, an organisation which is actively opposing human trafficking in South Africa.
She has dedicated her life to rescuing and rehabilitating victims and survivors of the vicious trade.
Brave to Love has rescued 215 and completed 149 outreaches.
The ‘She Is Safe’ book launch took place on March 1, at The Rock Church in Salt River.
Van der Walt gave her life to Jesus at a young age and became a pastor at age 25 in what she believed was a calling upon her life. She decided to fully dedicate her life to help victims of the human trafficking trade, such as prostitution.
The book are the tales of van der Walt’s experiences and journeys and that of victims who are now survivors.
In one of the extracts of the book a survivor says: “They rescued me from a pit of darkness, where I was trapped for six years. From the age of 15, when no one could help, except those sent by God.
“This was a life of drugs, prostitution, theft, lies, manipulation, rebellion and other things.”
Van der Walt told Weekend Argus they had rescued girls, women from all over South Africa and that the book was their stories, the reality of the trade and how they had overcome it, physically, emotionally and spiritually.
“We have survivors who were trafficked from Gauteng to Cape Town to areas such as Milnerton,” she said.
“There are two kinds of trafficking, one which is out of desperation and the other when there is a trafficker in control of the money and the drug abuse.
“When it comes to the sex trade, the trafficker controls the woman because of her vulnerability of being an addict to drugs.”
“We talk in the book about online grooming where a lot of traffickers are using social media as a way of recruiting victims.
“We support survivors and have a safe house and skills development and have survivors who have successfully reintegrated.
“Cape Town is a hub, tracking from other countries to here and there.”
Marcel van der Watt, Former Hawks Sex Trafficking Investigator and Research Fellow at the Free State Centre for Human Rights, University of the Free State” said of the book:
“From the brothels of Cape Town, South Africa, and streets of Maputo, Mozambique, to the tourist markets in Kathmandu, Nepal, and the red light district of Pattaya, Thailand, I have observed, studied, and/or investigated the inextricable link between systems of prostitution and sex trafficking for over two decades,” he said.
“During this time, I’ve had the immense pleasure and privilege to meet and work with several law enforcement officers, social workers, prosecutors, and service providers.
“As a beacon of light, Emma van der Walt stands tall among many of these giants and knows all too well that South Africa has a human trafficking problem.
“While South Africa’s notoriety as a source, transit, and destination country for human trafficking may be well documented by researchers, journalists, and stenographers who record the harrowing testimonies of witnesses and victims in our courts, one critical perspective is sorely lacking: Emma’s boots on the ground vantage point, and her story of divine courage in the face of danger and tragedy. ”
For more information visit Brave to Love website
Available on their online shop: Visit https://bravetolove.org/product/she-is-safe-english/