According to the South African government, Human Rights Day which is commemorated on 21 March aims to remind South Africans about the sacrifices that paved the way to democracy. As part of a four-part series that explores human rights, the Northglen News chats to a Durban North based organisation to find out how they are striving against human trafficking and slavery to uphold the right to freedom.
FIGHTING for freedom in the midst of modern day slavery is not just a matter of escaping a captor. Dire circumstances and a lack of education or employment are vital links in the oppressive chain.
“What [survivors] say to us is they are not in the industry by choice. It is their situation that forced them into the industry. They don’t have money and need it,” said Gugu Mazwele, a social worker and counsellor who works as a restore councilor at Durban North-based organisation, the Domino Foundation (DF).
Zinhle Dlamini, of the Kwanele Survivors (KSM), said she was forced into sex work to provide for her five children, born during a turbulent time in her life after a childhood rife with abuse and rape.
“When I was eight years old, my mother used to place me with anyone who needed someone to be a nanny for them. I would do babysitting and cleaning without any pay. My mother was getting paid. The problem started when it became a norm that wherever I stayed where there was a man in that house, they would rape me. I can’t even remember how many times I was raped,” said Dlamini.
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Attempts to report the incidents only led to greater abuse, she said.
“I would try to talk about this but no one seemed to believe me, even my own mom would say that I was a liar, just making up stories,” she said.
Dlamini ran away and ended up on the streets where she worked in the commercial sex industry for 11 years, using her earnings to pay for her children’s schooling until an organisation offered her a chance to visit a rehab centre and turn her life around. She now partners with DF which strives to rehabilitate women who have escaped from the commercial sex industry, as part of the foundation’s Red Light anti human trafficking programme.
The foundation is currently working alongside four women who were referred to DF by Dlamini.
“Normally we take in people who are tired of being used and want to have a new life. My duty is to help restore them to who they were before they got into the industry,” said Mazwele.
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DF CEO Shaun Tait said Red Light started in 2009 at The Rock Church when a group of youths were stirred into action against the plight of 21st century slavery after watching a documentary on human trafficking.
“We work with survivors of sex trafficking to counsel, rehabilitate, upskill and equip so they can enter back into the economy,” he said.
For those who do not have a matric qualification, skills development begins with English literacy, computer skills and short courses. From there they are placed in intern positions where they can further their skills in their chosen career.
“Once they are here with us, they learn skills to earn money, not depending on the streets and the men who abuse them,” said Mazwele.
The Red Light process is tailored to individual needs and DF follows up after the programme to ensure the women are adjusting well. Karren Brokensha, marketing and donor relations manager at DF, said it costs about R500 per month to restore a women. For more information, contact the Domino Foundation on 031 563 9605.
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