As Zimbabwean women fall prey Critics of the South African government said like in many other issues needing attention, such as xenophobia, not enough was being done to combat the problem of human trafficking.
The campaign by the Migrants Help Desk was aimed at educating the public in identifying potential human traffickers. The Desk has been distributing flyers, pamphlets and posters so that the public is aware of the many tactics used by the traffickers to convince their victims.
Zimbabweans were said to be mainly at risk due to the proximity with South Africa and the failing economy, which has lured many men and women to the neighbouring country in search of greener pastures. The Zimbabweans, who are normally desperate for employment, fall prey easily. It is believed many Zimbabwean women were being used as strippers and engaging in other sexual activities in South Africas night clubs and brothels.
International organisations have estimated that 40 000 prostitutes are destined for South Africa for the FIFA World Cup.
Analysts feared the human traffickers had become more cunning. They had intensified their search and were applying more sophisticated means to lure more people for the World Cup business.
The awareness campaign stated that not only young women and children were at risk of human trafficking, but men and elderly women were equally on demand. These ended up being used as sex slaves or as cheap labour on farms among other forms of abuse.
Analysts have also said as long as armed conflicts, political instability, corruption in governments, regional imbalances and economic disparities existed, traffickers, would always find fertile ground for their illegal practices.
Poverty, organised criminal gangs, high unemployment figures and perceived higher standards of living in other countries were some of the causes of human trafficking listed in the campaign literature.
The Desk said human traffickers had skilful ways which they used to convince parents to sell their children. In some cases parents were misled to believe their children would be given some training to improve their lives.
In many cases traffickers employed coercion and manipulation that included deception, intimidation, infatuation, isolation, threat, physical force, debt bondage, force feeding with drugs and other forms of abuse.
Pastor Thomas-Rene Kitutu of the Christians for Peace in Africa said while human trafficking had existed for donkey years, it was only now that authorities were putting an emphasis to the evil practice.
Kitutu said human trafficking was big business whose practitioners could harm anybody attempting to expose them. “When you oppose them you put yourself in danger because they are making a lot of money,” he told The Zimbabwean recently.
He also confirmed that many Zimbabwean women who were working as prostitutes in the country had been promised lucrative jobs. He said it was not easy to escape because in such situations, victims passports were taken away from them and they were kept in isolation.
Apart from threats used by traffickers to maintain their grip on their captives, the syndicates are also known to have the habit of dispossessing their victims of their travelling documents. The perpetrators are gifted with some cunning skills to discourage their victims from reporting their bondage to the police or try to escape, said the Help Desk.
Kitutu is currently working in close partnership with the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and talking to school children about the dangers of human trafficking. Children were taught to be wary about strangers and how to handle them.
Jacques Kamanda, secretary general of the Coordinating Body for Refugees Communities (CBRC), also confirmed there were syndicates involved in human trafficking. He also said he was aware that many Zimbabwean women had fallen prey to human traffickers and were now working as prostitutes and on farms.
He, however, said his organisation remained hopeful. “There is hope although we don’t have the means we will push forward the agenda of education for migrants.”
The Johannesburg authorities believed the Commission for Gender Equality set up to promote democracy and a culture of human rights in the country could play a role in combating human trafficking but many critics were sceptical.
Post published in: Politics