Human trafficking thriving undetected

HUMAN trafficking is thriving under the radar because cases remain unreported, resulting in lack of data to monitor the scourge.

Fuelled by the sex trade, experts estimate about 30 000 children become victims of human trafficking and are prostituted in South Africa every year.

Half of the children are believed to be younger than 14. About 1 000 girls are believed to be brought into the country from Mozambique and Zimbabwe for sexual exploitation.

University of Pretoria criminology professor Christiaan Bezuidenhout said black South African girls were popular in Germany and the Netherlands, where they were considered “exotic”.

“In Hong Kong, they want white girls,” he said. “There are lots of cases that go unreported, making it difficult to give an exact figure.”

Bezuidenhout said 1.3 million people were trafficked globally, with vulnerable girls lured with the prospect of a better life.

The hot spots were major cities like Cape Town, Johannesburg and Pretoria, but small towns were not immune.

Institute for Security Studies researcher Chandre Gould said the Prevention and Combating of Trafficking in Persons Act enacted in July required that a database of cases be established to monitor the extent of the problem. It had not yet been set up.

Former drug addict Chrisna Visser of Cape Town said she fell prey to human trafficking in 2005 after suffering a mental breakdown. “I was ultimately rescued by an NGO,” she said.

After her ordeal Visser started Purple Blanket, which preaches awareness and helps victims of human trafficking. She was one of the speakers at the Freedom Exhibition, which started at the weekend and ends on Friday.

The exhibition is part of National Human Trafficking Awareness Week at Freedom Park in Pretoria.

Roxanne Rawlins, of Operation Mobilisation, which organised the event, said they were spreading awareness to vulnerable children through a project called TraffickProof.

“We play video clips, stage dramas and distribute flyers at schools.”