Minds come alive with insights into human trafficking

AS the country is left reeling in the wake of a scourge of femicide and gender-based-violence in recent weeks, the topic of human trafficking was an apt one as the Minds Alive group gathered at La Lucia Library on Friday, 6 September. Speaker for the day was Dr Monique Emser, from the University of KwaZulu-Natal’s International and Public affairs who has been on the KwaZulu-Natal Human Trafficking, Prostitution, Pornography and Brothels Task Team for the last decade.

Emser said that many victims of human trafficking are trying to better their lives and fall prey to scams.

“We like to believe these opportunities exist for us. Because they are so enthusiastic to improve their lives, they take risks,” she said.

Many victims are lured into a foreign country when their travel costs are paid for by a human trafficker posing as an employer with the promise of a job, added Emser.

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What drives trafficking?

She said human trafficking is driven by demands , listing several motives, including a demand for: forced labour, forced organ removal, forced sexual exploitation, forced marriage and in some cases, forced military service.

While statistics are continually shifting, Emser said women and children make up the bulk of the cases. Citing the Global Slavery Index, she said women account for 71 per cent of cases while children make up 25 per cent, although these numbers shift from year to year and there is a need to investigate.

“Because women are often targeted, men become invisible victims,” she added.

While women make up the bulk of human trafficking victims, they also account for 42 per cent of human traffickers, globally.

“In no other crime do women represent so prevalently as victims and perpetrators,” said Emser.

“To get out of performing sexual acts, women will often take on the role of a madam and assist in recruiting other girls. Once they have a victim, traffickers use a variety of ways to condition their victims, including subjecting them to starvation, rape, gang rape, physical abuse, beating, confinement, threats of violence toward the victim and victim’s family, forced drug use, and shame,” she added.

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Online dangers

Citing global statistics, Emser said that 42 per cent of traffickers are known to the victim. Despite this, the Internet makes it easy for perpetrators to access victims on a global scale. Emser said parents need to educate their teens about online dangers as girls are often targeted by phony model scouts who request bikini shots, or nudes and then blackmail youngsters using the images as leverage. She also mentioned that boys are being targeted on video gaming sites and sometimes lured with fake football scholarships. Emser said parents should ensure that their children’s profile pictures are not public, but set to private or ‘friends only,’ and talk to them about their rights if they are faced with blackmail.

In many cases, education is also key for victims to escape.

“A lot of victims don’t know their rights and are scared to speak up, especially victims of sexual exploitation. They may come from cultures where there is shame in sex. Many can’t bring themselves to admit that they have been abused by someone they know and it takes time to address that,” she said.

While many victims of human trafficking have access to cell phones, they are often too afraid to seek help as traffickers are using technology such as GPS to track their victims whereabouts at all times.

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