Major human trafficking march coming to town on June 28
A huge march to create awareness about human trafficking will take place between 09:00 and 14:00 on June 28. The public is welcome to attend.
The Toekomsrus Victim Friendly Room (VFR) has taken a stand against human trafficking and is planning a massive march on 28 June to raise awareness about the criminal element of human trafficking and what it entails.
Proceedings will start at 09:00 at the Toekomsrus Police Station where people will then move through Diamond Street and Gold Street and back to the station. The march will conclude at about 14:00. The public is welcome to attend.
The march will involve a dialogue and presentation about human trafficking while different stakeholders will also be in attendance to share information on how they assist victims of such a crime.
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The stakeholders in question are the local police, the Department of Social Development, the Department of Home Affairs, Rand West City Local Municipality (RWCLM), Child Welfare, Randfontein Magistrate’s Court and the local taxi association among others.
A counselor at Imizamoyethu-Emihle Social Services, Victoria Nkomo explained the concept of human trafficking. Imizamoyethu-Emihle is an organisation that was established to advocate for the rights of victims of crime and domestic violence.
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“Human trafficking is an unlawful act of transporting or coercing people to benefit from their work or services, typically in a form of forced labour or sexual exploitation. Any person who delivers, recruits, transports, transfers, harbours, sells, exchanges, leases or receives another person within or across borders of South Africa through threat or harm is taking part in human trafficking,” said Nkomo.
She further explained the organisation is registered with the Department of Social Development under the non-profit act (Act 71 of 1997) and that assists victims of different crimes.
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“The purpose of the organisation is to provide a haven for victims, educate and assist them through counselling and give them legal referrals. We also offer motivation and education on building their self-esteem to allow them to have a healthy mental and physical life span,” Nkomo concluded.
Toekomsrus VFR is also part of the organisation which has eight stations in and around Randfontein known as Victim Empowerment Centers with VFRs on the premises of SAPS.
