The SAPS Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation referred to as the Hawks, has vowed to continue fighting organised crime, economic crime, corruption and other serious crimes including trafficking in persons.
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This was according to Captain Lefa Lebitso from the Hawks, who said anything that seeks to threaten the state will be fought hands-on.
Lebitso was speaking during a Trafficking in Persons Awareness Campaign at Kempton Park Civic Centre on Friday.
“As law enforcement officials, we are aware that human trafficking occurs every single day, but we need to create more awareness, especially in the media and not only observe such a day during October,” he said.
Human trafficking is the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of people through force, fraud, or deception, intending to exploit them for profit.
Men, women and children of all ages and from all backgrounds can become the victims of this crime, which occurs in every region of the world.
The traffickers often use violence or fraudulent employment agencies and fake promises of education and job opportunities to trick and coerce their victims.
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According to the human trafficking ambassador for the Gauteng Department of Social Development in Ekurhuleni, Matamela Matsenene, women and children are at a higher risk of being trafficked.
“Women are trafficked for several reasons including commercial sex, forced marriages and slavery to domestic work.
“Some are trafficked because they willingly meet strangers from social media networks.
“According to a recent study, the number of people trapped in human trafficking more than doubled in the 2021-22 financial year.
“From April 2021 to March 2022, 83 people were trafficked and 74 were referred for care. In addition, 24 children were trafficked but were found and referred to care by NPOs and 62 potential victims were identified.
“The national human trafficking hotline received 2 146 calls in 2021 and as a result, 20 people were removed from exploitation.
“In South Africa, 11 traffickers were convicted, with five receiving life sentences and one getting 20 years in jail while five are still awaiting sentencing,” said Matsenene.
She added that South Africa remains on the tier two watch list of the trafficking in persons rankings, for the second consecutive year.
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According to the Prevention and Combating of Trafficking in Person Act 7 of 2013, social service professionals play a critical role in the reporting, identification and assessment of a person who is the victim of trafficking.
They assist the victims to be placed under approved programmes, and children placed in temporary safe care.
Such programmes offer accommodation, counselling and rehabilitation services as well as re-integrate the victim back into their families and communities.
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