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The internet has revolutionised human trafficking. It has presented recruiters with more convenient ways to connect with targeted victims, usually with fake job offers, or to find buyers for their products, such as human kidneys, and even to livestream acts of exploitation, writes Jane Marie Ongolo

Key to any human trafficking operation is the recruiter, often occupying a position of authority in the community. They may be the leader of the trafficking ring but are often just someone credible, even with significant religious or political standing.

Consider the documented case of a teacher from Lesotho who persuaded students to look for women most likely to accept employment “abroad”.

Five young women were duly introduced to the teacher who deceitfully briefed them on the available work and where it was – an offer they readily accepted. However, upon getting to the destination, in South Africa, they were promptly sold into sexual exploitation.

In another documented case, the organizer, a Congolese woman, promised the relatives of five children that they would get better education in Zambia. When a deal was finalized, the woman arranged for transportation to enter Zambia irregularly. On arrival, she put the five children to work in her business, selling commodities and food.

Victims treated as commodities

The Southern Africa region is not free from human trafficking, a crime that entails the recruitment, transportation, harbouring or receipt of people through force, fraud or deception, with the aim of exploiting them for profit. Traffickers of human beings treat their victims as commodities that can be used and sold for financial gain, without regard for human dignity and rights.

Essentially, traffickers can be divided into two broad categories: groups that can be defined as organized criminal groups and opportunistic traffickers operating alone or in cooperation with one or other traffickers. In the latter category are business owners, intimate partners and other family members.

Whatever the organizational structure, traffickers usually target the most marginalized and vulnerable such as those with mental disorders and undocumented migrants, along with those living in poverty, the unemployed as well as abandoned children and those in dysfunctional families. In the SADC region cases have been reported of people living with albinism being trafficked for their organs.

Trafficking can involve travelling to another country. However, most detected victims across the world are citizens of the countries where they are detected – but are usually subject to significant geographical movements often to unfamiliar parts of their region where a different language is spoken.

A more convenient way to target victims 

While the scenario of an influential community member doubling up as a recruiter is still a reality, the internet has revolutionized human trafficking. It has presented recruiters with more convenient ways to connect with targeted victims, usually with fake job offers, or to find buyers for their products, such as human kidneys, and even to livestream acts of exploitation.

Through the internet it is also possible to anonymously arrange logistics such as transport and accommodation for victims, in addition to moving and hiding proceeds of crime.

In the recruitment phase for human trafficking, two types of strategies can be identified. ‘Hunting’ is when traffickers proactively target specific victims or clients in order to gain access to victims and establish connections with potential buyers or exploitative services. ‘Fishing’ involves human traffickers posting adverts online and waiting for potential clients of victims to respond. They may include fake job adverts or the offer to buyers for certain services.

Thus, it is critical that guardians and educators teach children how to navigate the internet safely. Social media presently a significant danger, not least because it is now such an indispensable  part of life, with WhatsApp and Facebook, among the most popular.

It is concerning that a third of children who participated in a 2020 child survey (conducted by the Youth Research Unit at the Bureau of Market Research, Unisa and Unicef) had met someone face-to-face during the previous year whom they had first got to know on the internet. The last time they met the person face-to-face, they experienced feelings of happiness (58,8%) and excitement (43,7%).

Globally, 50% of detected human victims of human trafficking were for sexual exploitation and 38% for forced labour, while 6% were subjected to forced criminal activity and more than 1% to begging. Smaller numbers were trafficked for forced marriages, organ removals and other purposes.

Women and girls still the primary target

This is in contrast to the situation in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region where the majority of detected victims of human trafficking are exploited for the purpose of forced labour. They are put out to work – such as selling goods in markets, begging and labouring on farms, quarries and in mines.

Victims of human trafficking are invariably kept against their will through fear of physical violence. In other instances victims are prevented from fleeing because they have been forcibly introduced to drugs, or have been deceived into believing that they owe the traffickers huge amounts of money for services provided, such as the provision of a false ID, transportation or housing.

Research by UNODC and others shows that globally the share of children among detected trafficking victims has tripled, while the share of boys has increased five times over the past 15 years. However, women and girls are still the primary target of trafficking globally, making up 46% and 19% of all victims of trafficking respectively.

“Loverboy” cases have also been reported in the SADC region. This is where male traffickers romance potential female victims for months and even years, building a relationship of trust, before trafficking them into sexual exploitation or forced labour.

In the SADC member states the number of trafficking cases recorded fell between 2017 and 2020, likely due to increased focus on the crime of human trafficking. More countries have developed specific laws prohibiting such crimes after ratifying the United Nations Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children (the Trafficking Protocol).

As of August 2020, 169 countries had enacted legislation that criminalizes trafficking in persons, in line with the protocol. Across the world the average conviction rate tripled since 2003 when the Protocol entered into force, although convictions have been lowest in sub-Saharan Africa.

Conviction rate has tripled 

Between 2017 and 2020, 484 cases of trafficking in persons were recorded in the SADC Regional Trafficking in Persons Database, set up in 2014 by member states, the SADC Secretariat and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

There were 212 cases from nine SADC member states in 2017 – 130 of them were registered in South Africa alone. In 2018, 151 cases were registered in 11 SADC countries, with the number falling to 55 cases from eight member states. The number of recorded cases rose again to 66 cases from eight member states in 2020.

Detection is particularly difficult and even where suspects have been identified building up a case for prosecution is a process fraught with technicalities. It doesn’t help that human trafficking is often conflated with people smuggling and irregular migration, leading to further complications.

Working with other UN agencies, development partners and member states, UNODC is supporting member states with training meant to boost detention and prosecution, along with assistance for victims. Just as important is awareness raising and ongoing data collection to support evidence-based programming.

In the words of one stakeholder, the human trafficking cases they encountered happened by coincidence and not because of targeted efforts. Hence the aim of support efforts underway is to ensure that detection and prosecution happen by design rather than by accident.

About the Southern Africa Migration Management (SAMM) project.

The SAMM project is funded by the European Union and is a collaboration between four UN agencies: ILO, IOM, UNODC and UNHCR, under the one-UN model. The overall objective is to improve migration management in the Southern Africa and Indian Ocean region. https://www.sammproject.org/

# Dr Ongolo is the Southern Africa Regional Resident Representative of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

END.

A popular rural school in South Africa’s Limpopo province hosted this year’s main commemoration of World Day Against Trafficking in Persons jointly organized by the Department of Justice and Correctional Services, and the United National Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

Mphaphuli Secondary School, an iconic school in Thohoyandou, was established in the 1920s and has grown exponentially, largely due to the support given by the community. Among its former students is President Cyril Ramaphosa and renowned boxer Phillip N’dou.

In commemoration of World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, the school’s 1,500 learners interacted with dignitaries, including the Minister of Justice and Correctional Services, Mr Ronald Lamola, who commissioned a computer centre with 10 computers and furniture sourced through UNODC.

The event, held under the global theme of the day “use and abuse of technology”, was meant to emphasize that technology has become both an enabler of trafficking and also a possible tool to fight such crimes.

The crime of human trafficking has received a major boost since the onset of the internet. Since then, among traffickers’ most preferred ways of finding victims is posting fake job offers online, promising work opportunities, often in far off lands. Such recruitment and coercion often occur through targeting on social media.

Thus, the computers provided to Mphaphuli Secondary School were meant to support students to achieve computer literacy and also for them to learn how to safely navigate cyber space.

Mr Ronald Lamola said online connectivity was among the manifestation of globalization which presented both opportunities and dangers – including human trafficking. The internet, he emphasized, allowed people to interact easily and in real time, on social media such as WhatsApp.

Mr Lamola also said it was strategic that the commemoration was taking place at Mphaphuli Secondary School, situated not far from the country’s busiest land border crossing at Beitbridge, a factor that increased the risk of trafficking.

UNODC Regional Representative Ms Jane Marie Ongolo implored the learners to always navigate the internet safely, including refraining from accepting friend requests from strangers and not falling for offers that appear too good to be true.

Sarah Rammbuda, the mayor of Thulamela – a municipality in the area – said while learners were at risk of falling risk to trafficking and “as leaders we have a duty to guide them.”

Earlier in the day, both Mr Lamola and Dr Ongolo also spoke on the dangers of human trafficking in an interaction with students at the University of Venda (Univen), located a stone’s throw from Mphaphuli Secondary School. It was as a student at Univen that Mr Lamola served as president of the Student Representative Council and chairperson of the South African Students Congress in Limpopo.

Dr Ongolo said anyone can become a victim. “Traffickers are now using the internet to lure those they want to traffic. This place is not that far from the border, so we need to be careful about human trafficking.”

Turning to drug abuse, among UNODC’s areas of focus, Dr Ongolo urged the university to work at being the site of a proposed e-learning tool that would the community to learn about the dangers of drugs abuse. She said discussions were underway to explore other possible areas of cooperation between UNODC, Univen and departments under the Ministry of Justice.

About the Southern Africa Migration Management (SAMM) project

The commemoration of World Day Against Trafficking at Mphaphuli Secondary School was organized under the SAMM project which is funded by the European Union and is a collaboration between four UN agencies: UNODC, ILO, IOM and UNHCR, under the one-UN model. The overall objective is to improve migration management in the Southern Africa and Indian Ocean region. https://www.sammproject.org/

Story by Wilson Johwa

The Southern Africa Migration Management Project (SAMM) is offering scholarships to obtain a Diploma for Labour Migration Experts and Practitioners, providing an opportunity for participants to master the qualitative understanding of labour migration governance and protection of migrant workers’ rights through a package of intensive and challenging training courses – distance learning and residential phases to be furthered complemented by a capstone project in one of the fields of expertise covered in the programme.

The scholarships are being offered to national tripartite constituents (3 representatives of the Ministry of Labour, 3 representatives of workers’ organisations, and 3 representatives of employers’ organisations) of each of the 16 SADC countries to obtain the “Diploma for Labour Migration Experts and Practitioners”. In addition, the SAMM project is offering 9 scholarships per Regional Economic Community (SADC, COMESA, IOC): 3 to Ministries of Labour represented at the RECs level, and 3 to Workers’ representation and Employers’ representation each.  In total, SAMM will be able to offer 9 scholarships to each country + 9 to each RECs.

On achieving the Diploma for Labour Migration Experts and Practitioners, successful candidates will gain advanced knowledge in core areas of Labour Migration and cutting-edge skills to design policies, which ensure and optimize governance of Labour Migration, be able to demonstrate the achievement through a recognised certification from the ITCILO; and be part of a growing network of Labour Migration Experts and Practitioners to serve as an ongoing platform for exchange.

The training activities developed under the Diploma emphasizes experiential, results-based, learner centred methodologies such as lectures, discussions, case studies, open discussion, role-play exercises and extensive group work in which learning needs are assessed and matched and aligned with principles and guidance intended to turn learning outcomes into practice under seven main themes:

1. Gender-sensitive labour migration policies and/or strategies regulating labour migration at national and/or regional level;
2. International labour standards, national legislation on the protection of migrant workers and promoting an evidence-based public discourse;
3. Bilateral labour migration agreements (BLMAs) across the region and with third countries;
4. Fair recruitment and decent employment for migrant workers including regulatory legislation on Private Employment Agencies (PEAs), and strengthening of Public Employment Services (PES)’ capacity;
5. Social Security Portability of Benefits for migrant workers;
6. Recognition of qualifications of migrant workers at national and bilateral level, as well as support to Regional Qualifications Frameworks at REC’s level;
7. Labour migration statistics (indicators, module, inclusion in labour market information systems, etc).

Other areas that will be also covered are the following:

8. Labour Migration Administration;
9. Refugees and IDPs’ access to the labour market;
10. Impact of immigration on developing countries’ economies;
11. Reducing Remittances’ transfer cost;
12. The role of migrant workers and the Diaspora in attaining the SDGs.

Johannesburg, 11-13 April 2022 – UNODC in collaboration with the South African Judicial Education Institute convened a Judicial Training Against Trafficking in Persons (TiP) in Johannesburg, South Africa from the 11 to 13 April, which is part of UNODC priorities in the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) Region in enhancing the capacity of Judicial Officers in the response to human trafficking using victim centred approaches under the joint UNODC-SADC Regional Programme (2013 -2023). The Regional Porgramme aims to support SADC member states to respond to the evolving threats and challenges related to crime, drugs and terrorism in all its manifestations.

The objectives of the training were to strengthen capacity of Judicial officers to effectively address trafficking in persons with a special emphasis on vulnerabilities of victims and the trauma they suffer; strengthen Judicial officers’ understanding of vulnerability and its role in presenting challenges to evidence and using tools that explain psychology and culture with special emphasis on child victims to resolve the evidential challenges and to build the capacity of judicial officers on Sentencing principles on anti-trafficking in persons. Lastly, the workshop also acted to launch the Trafficking in Persons Handbook for Judicial Officers in South Africa.

The training workshop was in line with UNODC Strategic Vision for Africa 2030, which aims to provide innovative ways to support Member States and stakeholders over the next 10 years to strengthen crime prevention, enhance the effectiveness of criminal justice systems, counter organized crime and corruption, promote balanced drug control and improve the rule of law.

In the Southern African Development Community (SADC), one unique trend that stands out in the region is that convictions on human trafficking remain low. However, UNODC has over the years convened Regional Judicial Trainings on Combating Trafficking in Persons for Judges and Magistrates to strengthen the adjudication of cases. As such, the convening of anti-human trafficking trainings for judicial officers remains a key intervention in the response to human trafficking.

During the official opening of the workshop, Mr. Vincent Spera, Consul general, US Embassy to Republic of South Africa said that “Human trafficking is such an important issue for us to work on together. It erodes the rule of law, the safety of communities, the security of borders, and the strength of economies and it transcends borders, so we need a global coalition to confront it”.

Mr. Vincent Spera, Consul general, US Embassy to Republic of South Africa

Meanwhile, Dr. Gomolemo Moshoeu, Chief Executive Officer, South African Judicial Education Institute (SAJEI), said that “Trafficking in Persons is a very complex and serious human rights issue. Some of the common features of TIP are coercion, deception, slavery or forced labour, etc.  TIP is linked to different crimes like corruption, money laundering, terrorism, and others. The focus is on the profit margin. Adjudication of TIP requires constant refining of skills hence we are here today”. She went on to say that “SAJEI is celebrating 10 years in operation. It comes to mind that 10 years ago I was requested to start the Institute with an empty office, desk and telephone. Today, the Institute has African and international footprint which we are proud”

Dr. Gomolemo Moshoeu, Chief Executive Officer, South African Judicial Education Institute (SAJEI)

The Judicial training was made possible thanks to technical and financial support of the US Government State Department to Combat Trafficking in Persons (JTIP) and the European Government under the framework of the Southern Africa Migration Management (SAMM) Project

Mutare, 8-11 November 2021 – UNODC, under the framework of the Southern Africa Migration Management (SAMM) project and in collaboration with the Ministry of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage facilitated a four-day training workshop from the 8 – 11 November 2021 on combating Trafficking in Persons (TIP) for members of the Anti-Trafficking Inter-Ministerial Committee (ATIMC) of Zimbabwe. The training workshop was convened in line with the priorities of the joint UNODC-SADC Regional Programme (2013 -2023) and also in line with UNODC Strategic Vision for Africa 2030, which aims to provide innovative ways to support Member States and stakeholders over the next 10 years to strengthen crime prevention, enhance the effectiveness of criminal justice systems, counter organized crime and corruption, promote balanced drug control and improve the rule of law. Furthermore, UNODC is committed to gender mainstreaming and exercises a proactive gender perspective in the process of assessing the implications of any planned action for both women and men, hence, the workshop was designed in line with UNODC Gender Strategy.

The main objectives of the workshop were to build capacity of members of the Anti-Trafficking Inter-Ministerial Committee (ATIMC) on the identification and investigations of TIP cases; to build the capacity of members of the ATIMC on TIP victim interview techniques; to build the capacity of members of the ATIMC on the international legal framework of TIP (including distinguishing TIP and the smuggling of migrants and to strengthen the coordination mechanisms of the ATIMC in the response to Trafficking in Persons (TIP).  Human traffickers exploit domestic and foreign victims in Zimbabwe, and traffickers exploit victims from Zimbabwe abroad. Internal trafficking is prevalent and underreported. Traffickers exploit Zimbabwean adults and children in sex trafficking and forced labour, including in cattle herding, domestic service, and mining (gold and diamonds). More than 71 percent of child labour occurs in the agriculture (tobacco, sugarcane, and cotton), forestry, and fishing sectors, where children weed, spray, harvest, and pack goods. Zimbabwe is a transit country for Somalis, Ethiopians, Malawians, and Zambians end route to trafficking in South Africa. Zimbabwe is a destination for forced labour and sex trafficking. Traffickers’ subject Mozambican children to forced labour in street vending, including in Mbare.

Mozambican children who work on relatives’ farms in Zimbabwe are often undocumented and cannot enroll in school, which increases their vulnerability to traffickers (JTIP, 2021).

During the official opening of the workshop, the Permanent Secretary for Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage, Mr A.D.T. Nhepera said that “considering the dynamic nature of human trafficking and the technical expertise required to ensure that our strategies remain relevant, it is necessary to keep updating our knowledge and skills through such training workshops to allow us to execute our duties as expected”. He went on to say that “this training workshop is in line with the National Plan of Action which requires us to engage in capacity building through training workshops to equip all resource persons with the relevant knowledge and skills to fight human trafficking”.

Group discussion: Human Trafficking case analyses

Furthermore after the 4-day training workshop, the participants were able to describe indicators of human trafficking; distinguish human trafficking from smuggling of migrants; apply the correct techniques for interview victims of trafficking in persons and understand their roles and responsibilities in combating trafficking in persons in Zimbabwe.   The training workshop was attended by Police officers, Immigration officials, Social workers, Prosecutors and labour inspectors who are all members of the Anti-Trafficking Inter-Ministerial Committee (ATIMC).

The Southern Africa Migration Management (SAMM) Project, funded by the European Commission, is a four-year project to improve migration management in the Southern Africa and Indian Ocean region. The SAMM Project is implemented by the ILO in collaboration with the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). The overall objective of this programme is to improve migration management in the Southern Africa and Indian Ocean region.

Gaborone, Botswana 12 November 2021 — Since the first confirmed case of the COVID-19 pandemic in Botswana on 30 March 2020, the Government of Botswana has implemented targeted responses to curtail the spread of the virus and minimize the socio-economic effects of the pandemic.

As a way of complementing the ongoing efforts of the government, the International Organization for Migration (IOM), with funding from the European Union, is enhancing capacity through the provision of medical supplies containing personal protective equipment (PPE) to the Department of Immigration and Citizenship in support of Botswana’s national response to COVID-19, particularly at borders. The handover of these essential supplies will take place in Gaborone in the presence of government officials and partners.

The protective equipment includes 85,000 surgical masks, 650 face shields, 40,000 latex hand gloves, and 375 liters of hand sanitizer. The donation is part of IOM’s response and support within the framework of the Southern Africa Migration Management (SAMM) project in Botswana. It aims at strengthening the operational capacity of immigration officials at border crossing points to facilitate safe migration in the face of the pandemic.

“IOM expresses its delight to the Government of Botswana for the proactive action taken to break the chain of transmission of COVID-19 in the country. It is extremely grateful to the immigration officials and health professionals who have ensured that the country’s borders remain safe amidst the pandemic. We are proud to complement the Government of Botswana’s efforts and to support the Department of Immigration and Citizenship in their operational response. The donation of PPEs will help keep immigration officials safe while they perform their duties of ensuring safe and orderly Funded by the European Union
migration at the borders”, said Mr. Charles Kwenin, IOM Regional Director for Southern Africa.

“The European Union is a staunch supporter of multilateralism and a loyal partner to the United Nations, so I am particularly pleased that we were able to join hands today with the IOM, to support the Ministry’s border operations by providing PPEs. We have trust in multilateral action, and I know this approach has support also from the Government of Botswana”, said Silvia Bopp-Hamrouni, Deputy Ambassador of the European Union to Botswana and SADC.

The COVID-19 pandemic has undeniably affected many people’s livelihood worldwide, leading to an increasing number of persons opting to migrate in search of better opportunities, and Botswana is no exception. Therefore, IOM is scaling up its interventions in Botswana with the Department of Immigration and Citizenship, the Department of Health, and other stakeholders. The aim is to strengthen Health, Border and Mobility Management1 approaches including assistance to vulnerable and stranded migrants in the mixed migration flows2 to prevent disease outbreaks. IOM remains committed to helping the Government of Botswana address the operational needs of the immigration officials in the country.

The provision of the PPE supplies to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic is generously supported by the European Union within the framework of the SAMM project aimed at strengthening the management of migration in the Southern Africa region.

For more information, please contact Mr. Tunde Omoyeni, Regional Coordinator SAMM project at somoyeni@iom.int

1 https://www.iom.int/resources/health-border-and-mobility-management-hbmm
2 Mixed migration | Migration data portal