A 5KM Anti-Human Trafficking Walk is planned to raise awareness about the scourge of human trafficking, especially in children, and what can be done to prevent it. The walk will be held on Saturday, October 5, starting from Blue Lagoon, Durban.
Gloria de Gee, founder and director of Umgeni Community Empowerment Centre (UCEC), explained, “The event promises to be both informative and fun even for those who won’t be participating in the walk and are coming as spectators. Human Trafficking is the fastest-growing crime in the world. South Africa is not immune – far from it. Our many challenges make us more vulnerable. We cannot afford to ignore the dangers facing each and every one of us. ”
She warned that traffickers target children online by pretending to befriend them or by pretending to have a romantic interest.
“This method is called ‘hunting’. They could also trick children with adverts or posts claiming to provide jobs, opportunities or some other need. This method is called ‘fishing’,” she said.
Also read: NPO spreads hope among human trafficking victims
Gloria shared some tips on precautions that parents can take. “Make sure you keep all your social media accounts private, and only follow and befriend people you personally know; never reveal personal information, such as full name, ID number, phone number, address or school name; do not accept direct message requests from unrecognised accounts; make sure to share your account logins and passwords with a parent or trusted adult to monitor every move in case of emergency; do not send or post or accept inappropriate or sexually explicit photos, videos or text messages to anyone; be suspicious of offers or opportunities that seem too good to be true. Report it and don’t respond; be suspicious of people who want you to keep your friendship or plans a secret. Block them and report it.”
For over 15 years, UCEC has been a point of contact and safe harbour for the victims of human trafficking, gender-based violence and femicide.
The human trafficking hotline number to report crime is 0800 222 777.
Tickets for the walk are available on webtickets.co.za and directly from UCEC – visit www.ucec.org.za or www.facebook.com/ucecdurban. It costs R100 for adults and R50 for scholars.
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