The Devastating Effects of Human Trafficking in South Africa

891 Words2 Pages

One of the leading problems in the world today is human trafficking. Annually, about 600,000-800,000 people are trafficked across international borders, mostly consisting of women and children. Although this is an issue worldwide, it is especially an important issue in South Africa. I have chosen this topic because many people are not aware of this issue. Trafficking also violates human rights—especially the rights of women and children. This issue relates to the topic of “Children in the World.” Although trafficking affects people of all ages, it has the greatest impact on children.

There are a numerous number of causes as to why trafficking has come to be such an issue in South African society. Poverty, poor education standards, and greed are three of the leading causes of trafficking in South Africa. Although South Africa is one of the more developed countries in Africa, there are still many rural areas that are struggling from poverty. Many victims of trafficking are desperate for any opportunity to escape the hardships that come with extreme bankruptcy. Also, by having lack of education, this limits the amount of employment opportunities that many South Africans have. Traffickers may use many means of bribing to get their victims into trafficking. Sometimes they promise them marriage, employment, educational opportunities, or a better life. Greed is sometimes said to be the number one reason that human trafficking exists. Traffickers involve themselves in trafficking networks because it is a profitable activity. That is one of the reasons why this problem has increased over the years because of peoples’ willingness to take advantage of victims for money.

Trafficking has made a devastating impact on the lives of vict...

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...ntries. CBMMP is effective because it will help prevent any South Africans or people from other countries to illegally cross the country’s international boundaries for trafficking. A solution idea that has been proposed is that The Department of Social Development should establish counseling and rehabilitation centers for adult victims of trafficking. Because trafficking affects someone emotionally and mentally, this would provide a place for adults to “recover.” Lastly, the Southern African Counter-Trafficking Assistance program (SACTAP) organized South Africa’s first trafficking awareness week. This has also proven to be effective because it increases the awareness of the issue of trafficking and encourages people to help prevent it from continuing. By having these different laws and practices in place, South Africa hopes to get a hand on this issue of trafficking

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