Human trafficking: a modern day evil

Lazarus Sauti

Human trafficking – the recruitment, transport, transfer, harbouring or receipt of a person by such means as threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud or deception for the purpose of exploitation – is a ruthless crime which mercilessly exploits millions of vulnerable women, children and men worldwide.

This modern day evil, which is on the rise in Africa, is stalling social and economic development as vulnerable citizens are taken away from their homes and families to work under brutal conditions far away from their loved ones.

Tseliso Thipanyane of the Columbia University Law School and the Safer Africa Foundation, agrees:

“Human trafficking is on the rise in Africa. Millions of people continue to be trafficked in their own countries, in the African continent and in many parts of the world, and the majority of sufferers are women and children.

“Victims are trafficked to be exploited in a range of different sectors: sexual exploitation and forced labour which includes exploitation in agriculture, construction, catering and restaurants, entertainment services as well as domestic servitude.”

He added that other forms of exploitation are forced marriage, organ removal, illegal adoption along with the exploitation of children for begging as well as child soldiers.

A researcher in the field of peace and conflict resolution, who requested anonymity, said poverty and inequality are fueling human trafficking.

“Poverty and inequality in most African societies are fueling organised crimes such as human trafficking. In an effort to escape these ‘evil twins’, people unwittingly end up in the cycle of human trafficking, either as perpetrators or as victims,” he said.

The researcher added that sustainable development is heavily affected by human trafficking.

“Human trafficking comes at a high cost for the economy. It reduces tax revenues over and above migrant remittances.

It also destroys the social fabric as family ties and communities are ruined,” he said.

Besides stalling social and economic growth in most countries, Sethulo Ncube, a Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission (ZHRC) commissioner, says human trafficking is a security threat.

As a result, she urges Africa to constantly deal with this palpable contravention of human rights.

“Human trafficking is a present violation of the rights of young women and girls and in some cases boys who are subjected to sexual and physical abuse. African countries, therefore, must continuously deal with this blatant violation of human rights,” said Ncube.

Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, Chair of the African Union (AU), also explains that this modern day evil is a grave security threat on the continent, noting that, “issues that are threats to security on the continent should be seen as global threats.”

Armed with the idea that human trafficking is one of the world’s most shameful ills – a heartless violation of human rights in which lives are traded, sold, exploited, abused and ruined, United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon urged all concerned parties to take a united stand, shine a spotlight on the issue, put traffickers behind bars and give protection and support to victims and vulnerable people.

For this to be effective, there should be a comprehensive approach involving government institutions, civil society organisations, churches, security ministries, border control and other actors such as the International Organisation on Immigration to deal comprehensively with the issue.

To address human trafficking and other issues, Dr Dlamini Zuma urges African countries to pay more attention to development and ‘invest in holistic development.’

“African countries must pay more attention to holistic development. They must trade amongst ourselves as well as industrialise so as to create jobs for our people,” she said.

Samukele Hadebe, director of the Public Policy Research Institute of Zimbabwe - an Independent Trust that deals with issues of public policy in social, economic and political clusters – concurs:

“The onus is on governments to advance the well being of their citizens. Citizens’ welfare can simply be improved by fostering socio-economic development in societies by creating employment and providing other economic opportunities such as income generating projects,” he said.

Hadebe also encouraged government sectors to train policy and immigration officers on new information technologies so that they could understand crimes such as human trafficking.

“African countries must raise awareness of the complexities of the problem, provide training for law enforcement officers if we are to stop human trafficking,” he noted.

Plan International, a development organisation operating in 51 countries across Africa, the Americas, and Asia to promote and protect children’s rights, believes strengthening family bonds is also an important avenue towards ending human trafficking.

The international organisation urges African countries and all concerned stakeholders to promote tradition, family, culture and education in order to reinforce the concept of family unity.

Further, the African Centre for Migration and Society, the Institute for Security Studies and the Centre for Applied Legal Studies believe policing is an important ingredient if African countries are to curb human trafficking.

These organisations, therefore, warn African countries to facilitate legal immigration.

“Migrants clandestinely entering African countries are at risk of rape or sexual assault by criminal gangs and smugglers operating in border areas.

“Because illegal immigration is an offence, clandestine border crossers are less likely to report the crimes against them or seek appropriate assistance,” they said.

Furthermore, lack of documentation exposes migrants to a greater risk of labour exploitation in many countries, because employers know that undocumented employees are unlikely to report abuses.

Establishing a broad range of simple, inexpensive and well-publicised legal channels for immigration into African countries, they argue, would narrow the opportunities for traffickers to mislead potential migrants and profit from exploitation, and would encourage migrants to use formal immigration channels where their rights and safety would be better protected.

Human trafficking is a crime against humanity.

Countless numbers of African women and children lose their lives, their rights to education and freedom, as well as their innocence, through this practice.

Although most African countries are taking necessary steps to improve their legislation on how to stop human trafficking, more concerted efforts are needed to address this modern day evil, and the time to act is now.

John F. Kerry, United States Secretary for State, puts it clearly: “The bottom line is that this is no time for complacency.

“Right now, across the globe, victims of human trafficking are daring to imagine the possibility of escape, the chance for a life without fear, and the opportunity to earn a living wage.”