348 children reported missing amid growing trafficking fears

A growing number of children are going missing in South Africa very day and police statistics show a child is reported missing every five hours.

Police figures indicate that out of the 348 children who were reported missing from September 2023 to February 2024, only 207 were found, while 141 are missing.

Bianca van Aswegen, a criminologist and national coordinator for Missing Children South Africa, said previous figures released by the South African Police Service (Saps) missing persons bureau for 2013 indicated that children go missing every five hours.

Children go missing every five hours

Aswegen also said statistics indicated 77% of children were found.

“Sadly, this still leaves us with at least 23% of the children being either never found, trafficked or found deceased. Children are also the most vulnerable victims of gender-based violence,” she said.

“The reality is shocking and undeniable and we can no longer be innocent bystanders to this fact.”

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Last week, a 16-year-old girl was kidnapped by three men in Mossel Bay. Police spokesperson sergeant Christopher Spies said the teenager was abducted from her residence at JCC Camp, Da Gamaskop, last week, but she was rescued by the police as the kidnappers’ vehicle was intercepted while on its way to Cape Town.

“Members from the Overberg flying squad, Overberg task team and Caledon police traced the vehicle on the N2 at the entrance to Caledon,” Spies said.

He said the teenager was reunited with her family, while the men, aged 30, 38 and 48, were arrested.

Teen reunited with family, suspects arrested

Aswegen called on parents to look after their children.

“It is the festive season and school holidays, so child safety needs to be prioritised all the time. Parents need to be vigilant about the surroundings and need to always know where the children are.

“They must also leave their children with the people that they trust.

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“The young children who can easily get lost must be dressed in brightly coloured clothes. The teenagers must always stay in a group of friends and not go anywhere by themselves.

“We also need to educate our children about the dangers associated with social media and parents should also monitor their children’s social media accounts.

“They must not talk to people they do not know and share their location.”

‘Don’t share location’

Professor Anni Hesselink, a criminologist at the University of Limpopo, said missing children had become a disturbing phenomenon associated with SA due to its porous border control.

She said the demand for children had risen due to child trafficking, with many local and international criminal networks working together to serve the global market.

“Other than this, children are abducted for muti purposes, to be used as [labour and/or sex] slaves, or they become victims of seriously disturbed predators, who rape and murder children.

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“The rise in child abductions and missing children coincides with overcrowded families, ignorant and young parents being children themselves, residing in disorganised and often highcrime neighbourhoods, poverty, substance abuse, poor parental/ family supervision and uninvolved parents in the children’s lives/upbringing.”

Bryon Man from Brave To Love, an organisation working with police on human trafficking cases, said the missing persons cases should be prioritised because there are human lives involved.

“According to me a missing person case and a human trafficking case are the same because they have the same elements. The missing cases are much deeper than we think.

Same elements in missing person and human trafficking cases

“There are cases whereby some of the children were trafficked out of the county and sold to raise funds used in dangerous operations like terrorism.

“The thing that also contributes to the increase of the case is the fact that some police stations are still turning people away saying they must report the cases after some hours.

“The more you delay the more the children and being transported.”

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