South Africa’s Human Trafficking Challenges: Prevention, Protection, Prosecution
The DM of Social Development officially launched the Policy Framework for Local Task Team for Ports of Entry at the Cape Town International Airport.
As the DSD, Honourable Ganief Hendricks ministry’s main mission is to protect and even empower the most vulnerable among us. We are intensifying our partnerships across government, law enforcement, the aviation sector, and civil society to strengthen the national response to human trafficking.
Together as a governmental cluster, you and I – nay all of us – should cooperate towards:
– Enhancing awareness campaigns at points of entry such as this;
– Training various persons in a variety of social services as well as in respective justice and legal systems to assist identify trafficking victims;
– Supporting those who provide shelters for victims and offer rehabilitation services for survivors of trafficking since they were traumatized by their kidnappers; and
– Constructing and sustaining better/improved referral systems between ports of entry and established social support networks.
But make no mistake, the DSD is not only about devising and implementing policies for the people; they also devised ways and means to prevent such acts; so their aim to protect the victims, and to, of course, prosecute the perpetrators/traffickers.
DSD and ‘a Whole-of-Society’ Approach
Colleagues and friends, be on the alert at all our ports of entry; be it at airports, seaports or elsewhere, our airport officials, customs agents, flight attendants, police officers, and our border control staff as well as the everyday traveller should play their role to prevent and protect our communities.
What I am telling you is that our society should adopt a ‘whole of society’ approach; one in which we all cooperate, we work together and we share information to prevent and protect!
So, our families at home, our sporting clubs, and our educational institutions should take preventative measures:
(a) talk to your children;
(b) warn them about false job offers,
(c) internet scams, and
(d) promises that sound too good to be true.
We must arm our public at large and particularly the youth with information via social media platforms such as X and Facebook.
With Compassion, We Protect
Let us remember the following: that trafficking is not just a crime—it is a violation of human rights and the dignity of the individual trafficked. Dignity is the cornerstone of our democracy and integral to our identity.
This may sound unrelated, but several reports have filtered down via several social media platforms, that many Zionists have sneeked into our Mother City after having committed crimes against humanity in Gaza. South Africa, is viewed as a safe haven for them. We have taken a bold stance in response and have taken the Zionist state to the ICJ where guilty verdict was issued. Apart from them, there have been others who have also taken advantage of our South African hospitality and we – together – must stop this. We cannot afford rogue characters misusing our resources and facilities and we must protect our borders to prevent tracfficking!
This country of ours should not be a ‘marketplace’ for the trafficking of humans. In this country, we treat each other with respect and ensure that dignity is protected!
So, we say and repeat: Not under our watch, Not in our time.