Beware of human Trafficking

The South African Police Service has warned citizens to not fall prey to being human trafficked. 

Human trafficking is a criminal offence in terms of the Prevention and Combating of Trafficking in Persons Act, 7 of 2013. 

The offence involves the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring, selling, exchange, lease, or receipt of another person within or across the borders of South Africa under false pretences and for exploitation purposes. 

Trafficking in persons is a global crime trend where children, women and men are taken from their countries or areas to another country or destination area by force or by being pressurised or tricked into a situation to be exploited. Any person can become a victim of human trafficking.

Victims of human trafficking can be exploited in the following forms: 

• Being forced to work in the sex industry such as prostitution, pornography, stripping or exotic dancing and escort services.
• Victims may be trafficked for non-commercial sex purposes, such as early marriage; forced marriage; arranged marriage; compensation marriage; transactional marriage; temporary marriage or marriage for childbearing.
• Maternity trafficking, which is a form of forced impregnation with the intent to exploit or sell the child.
• Illegal adoptions with the intent to exploit or sell the child.
• Forced labour and child labour, which may include agricultural labour, construction labour or enforced enrolment in an armed force.
• Organ and body- part trafficking which includes the forced removal and illegal sale of organs and body parts.
• Forced begging and participation in criminal activities.

Victims of trafficking are physically trapped which means their movements are restricted. In some cases, they do not have access to their documents and money. 

Other reasons for remaining in a situation of being trafficked include intimidation through violence and fear; intimidation through shame; threats of arrest; deportation; imprisonment; blackmailing the victim’s family members; starvation; degradation and isolation.

Warning signs of victims of trafficking in persons
Since trafficking in persons is often a crime that is hidden, it is important to be aware of its warning signs. Some indications that a person may be a victim of trafficking include:

• Appearing malnourished.
• Showing signs of physical injuries and abuse.
• Avoiding eye contact, social interaction, and authority figures / law enforcement.
• Seeming to adhere to scripted or rehearsed responses in social interaction.
• Seeming to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol with a person appearing to control where they go and answers for them, not allowing them to speak for themselves. 
• Lacking official identification documents.
• Appearing destitute / lacking personal possessions.
• Security measures that appear to keep people inside an establishment - barbed wire inside of a fence, bars covering the insides of windows.
• Not allowing a person to visit a public area alone.

This information was supplied by the South African Police Service