Johannesburg - The spotlight is back on the age-old problem of human trafficking as reports emerged that South African police are racing against time to save more than 100 young girls allegedly spirited away by a sex slave syndicate.
Police narrowly missed the syndicate of Nigerians and South Africans when they recently raided a farm outside Paulpietersburg in KwaZulu-Natal.
It is believed that a brothel has been operating on the farm since 2006 and that it has been used as a holding point for young girls and women trafficked into South Africa from SADC and Asian countries in transit to Europe.
Police, the National Intelligence Agency and other government security agencies carried out the raid.
As forensic experts from Pretoria seized potential evidence, Organized Crime Unit detectives questioned suspects in a bid to rescue the girls.
South Africa is a source, transit, and destination country for trafficked men, women, and children.
Girls are trafficked for commercial sexual exploitation and domestic servitude, while boys are trafficked internally for use in street vending, food services and agriculture.
Anecdotal evidence suggests that South African children are forced to provide unpaid labour for landowners in return for their family occupying land or accommodation, or maintaining labour tenancy rights.
Child sex tourism is also prevalent in a number of South Africa's cities.
South African women are trafficked trans-nationally to Ireland, the Middle East, and the United States for domestic servitude.
Women and girls from other African countries are trafficked to South Africa for commercial sexual exploitation, domestic servitude, and other jobs in the service sector.
They are occasionally trafficked onward to Europe for sexual exploitation.
Thai, Chinese, and Eastern European women are also trafficked to South Africa for debt-bonded commercial sexual exploitation.
Young men and boys from Mozambique, Zimbabwe, and Malawi are trafficked to South Africa for farm work, often laboring for months without pay before 'employers' have them arrested and deported as illegal immigrants.
Organized international criminal groups — including Nigerian, Chinese, and Eastern European syndicates — and local gangs facilitate trafficking into and within South Africa.
The South African government has been trying to comply with minimum international standards for the elimination of trafficking.
South Africa is placed on Tier 2 Watch List for a fourth consecutive year for its failure to show increasing efforts to address trafficking over the last year.
The government provided inadequate data on trafficking crimes investigated or prosecuted or on resulting convictions or sentences.
In addition, it did not provide information on its efforts to protect victims of trafficking and continued to deport and or prosecute suspected foreign victims without providing appropriate protective services.
Commenting on the KwaZulu-Natal case, provincial police spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Vincent Mdunge said: 'We were very close. We almost had them, but somehow those behind this were tipped off that we were coming for them and disappeared with these young children. 'Our big fear now is what has happened to these children. We have evidence of serious harm being caused to them and the longer they remain away from safety, the greater the danger they face.'
He said they believed the syndicate trafficked girls from Mozambique, Swaziland and Zimbabwe.
'Once across the border the girls are apparently brought to the farm, which we believe is being used not only to house them, but also as a brothel.
'Intelligence we have gathered indicates that the girls are then trafficked either to other destinations in South Africa or on to European countries such as Holland.'
He said they were working with their SADC counterparts and Interpol to fight human trafficking.
Home Affairs Department inspectorate head Modiri Matthews said their role in such operations was varied.
'This includes looking at the victims of trafficking and how we can help them, such as repatriation to their home countries and providing whatever other assistance is needed, such as permits to stay in the country should a trial of their captors be underway.'
Southern Times - Spotlight on human trafficking as SA cops swoop on syndicate
Source: southerntimesafrica.com
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