POLOKWANE – Action movie fans will remember the 2008 movie Taken, with stars Liam Neeson and Maggie Grace, but the reality is that human trafficking does not only happen in movies, but also, in real life.
Mrs. Polokwane 2018 finalist, Janine Kruger decided to support ‘STOP Trafficking’ as her charity after her mother in law made the suggestion.
STOP Trafficking is an abbreviation that means Stop Trafficking Of People. It is a registered non-profit Christian organisation which aims to confront all aspects of human trafficking within South Africa and the rest of Africa.
STOP does this through advocacy, raising awareness and victim intervention and restoration.
STOP also strives to mobilise and empower communities to get proper structures in place and to partner with other organisations in the field to ensure optimal efficiency.
South Africa’s National Human Trafficking Awareness Week is a week where all the individuals and organizations involved in the anti-trafficking arena in South Africa, push to make a greater effort in raising awareness on the following topics:
- The realities of human trafficking on a global level and in South Africa,
- Factors that contribute to and counteract vulnerability,
- What safety tools are in place to help to prevent it from happening.
“One person being kidnapped and used as slave, is one too many. We should empower people and communities with knowledge about human trafficking. Empowering people is not just sharing information, it is about sharing the right information in a way that will keep everyone safe and encourage them to use the safety tools in place,” says Kruger.
She says prevention is the key and that there are a variety of ways to do preventative awareness. “You can educate yourself with factual info and then share it with everyone you know. Don’t focus on the gory details, but rather focus on inspiring those around you to also get active in raising awareness.”
Here is how you can get involved:
- Spread knowledge in your city, town or community of the National Human Trafficking Resource Line (0800 222 777 – for help/tip-offs/info),
- Host an info session for a specific audience,
- Use your social media to spread awareness messages,
- Volunteer at a local anti-trafficking NGO,
- Raise funds in support of anti-trafficking work… the list can go on and on.
Additional information received from Nicole Bartels, Operations and Media Manager, STOP Trafficking Of People NPC
