Offering hope for trafficked victims
One organisation doing its part to raise awareness and help victims of human trafficking is Red Light, based at the Rock Church in Sunningdale.
HUMAN trafficking is the second largest criminal industry in the world and is the fastest-growing. While most of the attention is focused on the criminals perpetrating this crimes, very little is said about the lingering physical, emotional and psychological wounds inflicted by trafficking, particularly sex trafficking. One organisation doing its part is Red Light, based at the Rock Church in Sunningdale.
The organisation, which began in 2009, has since spread its roots and helped a number of trafficked victims through counselling and a mentorship programme. Northglen News recently caught up with Natalie Ogden, director and founder of Red Light.
“It all started with a documentary on Cambodian children and teenagers being forced into slavery. That ignited something within me and the others watching it, and we decided we had to do something about it. At first I will admit we made a number of mistakes, but in time we found what worked for us.
“We looked at what we could do on a local front, from awareness to prevention. South Africa is often faced with sex trafficking. So we began a programme in which we teach pupils from underprivileged schools around South Africa what to look out for. The figures of human trafficking are shocking. An estimated 30 million people are enslaved, of that 80 per cent are girls between the ages of five and 15 years, with a maximum life expectancy of five years,” Ogden explained.
Red Light, which is guided by a Christian ethos, also helps women who have been trafficked try and reach dreams they thought unattainable.
“We work with a number of other organisations in the area, such as Grace Aid and the Rotary clubs, and with all the expertise between us, we try and help victims reach their dreams. We have a woman who wants to become a paramedic and we are doing everything we can to help her achieve that. We also have a number of victims working for our Create Freedom project. They create jewellery using shaved bark, and for them it is a tangible sign of restored hope and dignity.
“We are not playing a numbers game, we are trying to do the best we can for the people we are able to reach. Of course we are self-funded, so that makes it harder, and we rely on word spreading of our organisation,” she said.
To learn more about Red Light, visit www.redlight.org.za or e-mail info@redlight.org.za.
