A newly formed organisation, aimed at cracking down on human trafficking, believes human trafficking is becoming an increasing concern in the Johannesburg area.
According to local pastor and community leader, Mr Ziggy Moodley, who is at the forefront of the campaign, human trafficking is rife in Johannesburg and the surrounding areas.
He said the city is fast becoming a hotbed for human trafficking of women, men and mostly young girls, and if not stopped in time, more young women and children will be lured, abducted and exploited into and as part of this sordid industry.
Mr Moodley said the young girls come from mainly poverty-stricken backgrounds and have no jobs to feed their families and themselves.
“They read about attractive job offers in the newspapers and are lured out, only to find that they have been deceived and there’s a whole network of criminal elements involved. The most common places where children are spotted and lured by traffickers are shopping malls, bus stops and taxi ranks. Once they are captured, they are treated well in order to gain the trust of the trafficker,” he said.
Mr Moodley said the Stop Human Trafficking Now organisation works to combat human trafficking locally, especially in association with the National Freedom Network.
The organisation is there to create awareness in the community about the dangers of human trafficking.
The organisation also wants to roll out awareness campaigns about human trafficking in the coming months.
Furthermore, the organisation is also keen on establishing a community support desk to accommodate victims of human trafficking as well as safe houses for such victims in the long-term.
