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04 December 2009 [MEDIAGLOBAL]: The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has just released an animated video online in an effort to educate youth about human trafficking specifically in South Africa.
Human trafficking victims often experience violent abuse, both physical and mental, and tend to be young women forced into sexual slavery. Children comprise one fifth of trafficking victims. Since the Internet is now used as a recruiting measure for traffickers, aimed at youth, IOM wanted their video on the dangers of the practice to be online and animated, targeting the same age groups as the traffickers themselves.
As an IOM press release explained, “The animation recounts the story of a group of young children who meet a trafficker on their way to school. They have to decide whether to follow him when he promises them a better life. In class they are taught about internal and cross-border trafficking using case studies, and this knowledge helps them to avoid becoming victims of trafficking.”
Nde Ndifonka, information officer for IOM Pretoria, told MediaGlobal, “Young people are increasingly using the Internet for different purposes. They are also a vulnerable group to trafficking. This animated video is part of IOM’s activities that raise awareness on the reality and dangers of human trafficking, and aim to minimize its occurrence.”
This idea for an animated video on the subject, according to Ndifonka, “came from the need to address the Internet as a recruitment forum used by traffickers. In addition, we are taking advantage of the fact that the Internet is a cheap, easy, and effective means of disseminating information.”
South Africa has been targeted for this IOM project due to the fact that the country “has been found to be a…source, transit and destination for victims of trafficking,” Ndifonka explained. “The relative socio-economic stability of South Africa in the Southern African region makes it a prime destination for people in search of economic opportunities. At the same time, there is a high demand for cheap labor and sex services in the country. These factors make it an attractive destination for traffickers, who often exploit the willingness of people to travel to South Africa in search of better opportunities to lure them into exploitation.”
There is also a prevalence for “internal trafficking” in the country, “where vulnerable people living in impoverished communities in the rural areas and informal settlements are trafficked to major urban centers…for exploitation in forced labor or sexual slavery.”
The fact that South Africa is home to well-constructed transportation systems also makes it “a transit hub for trafficking victims who are being moved from the region to other continents,” Ndifonka informed.
The approaching 2010 World Cup in the country has also increased human trafficking in South Africa, which is another pressing reason “to sensitize young people about dangers of human trafficking, as some criminal elements may exploit the event to foster their criminal activities, including human trafficking,” Ndifonka added.
Over the last decade or so, IOM has assisted about 20,000 human trafficking victims total, over 300 of which were in South Africa. “IOM provides assistance and support to victims of trafficking, conducts research into human trafficking trends, raises awareness of the problem amongst the general public, and provides training to law enforcement officials and NGO service providers in the region,” Ndifonka noted.
IOM supplies shelter, medical assistance, counseling and even skills training to trafficking victims, helping them come to terms with their experiences and make a life for themselves as well. “Beneficiaries usually wish to return home,” Ndifonka said, “and IOM assists them to do so. IOM usually provides reintegration to these beneficiaries in their home country.”
In addition, IOM runs phone “help lines” that can be used by the public to report suspected cases, or to learn more about human trafficking.
To view IOM’s anti-trafficking video, visit www.iom.org.za.
MEDIAGLOBAL is the global news agency, based in the United Nations Secretariat, creating awareness in the media for the countries of the global South, with a strong focus on South-South Cooperation. The media company is one of the leading providers of information on global development issues facing vulnerable countries. MediaGlobal's news stories are read by leaders of developed countries, the global media, policymakers in donor countries, non-governmental organizations and key personnel in the United Nations Secretariat, its agencies and managers in the field worldwide. Please contact us at: UNITED NATIONS, Room 301, UN Secretariat, New York, NY 10017. Telephone: 212.963.9878. Mobile: 609.529.6129. Email: media@mediaglobal.org. Website:www.mediaglobal.org
http://www.mediaglobal.org/article/2009-12-04/international-organization-for-migration-releases-video-educating-youth-about-human-trafficking
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