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Inter-Regional Trafficking into South Africa
As previously mentioned, the exact number of persons trafficked into South Africa is not known due to several reasons, including overestimation, reliance and reproduction of old estimates, as well as the clandestine nature of the phenomenon. In this regard, Martens, et al, estimated that between 850 and 1,100 women and children are trafficked into South Africa every year.
Similarly, about 1000 Mozambican victims are trafficked into South Africa annually21. Hosken also claims that upwards of 600,000 persons are trafficked into South Africa annually from countries such as Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Swaziland and Lesotho22. Human trafficking victims from Angola, Cameroon, the Republic of Congo (DRC), Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda and Somalia have also been documented23. Interestingly too, although women appear to be the most victimised by human trafficking in the South African context, there are also reports indicating the trafficking of men into South Africa. In 2012 the rescue of 47 Ethiopian “slaves” by the South Africa Police Service (SAPS) “who were to be sold into slavery by a human trafficking syndicate in Limpopo” was reported24. Similarly, more than 50 Malagasy victims (men) of forced labour aboard a Chinese fishing boat in South Africa’s territorial waters were also rescued in 201225. Refugees from various African countries who reside in South Africa are reported to be engaged in the trafficking of close female relatives to South Africa26. Human trafficking victims brought into South Africa enter through different entry points. The most prominent entry points however, are South African land borders with neighbouring countries. In the Tsireledzani report, it is noted that trafficking victims are brought in through the Lebombo/Komatipoort border with Mozambique, and the Swaziland border areas27. It is specifically noted that taxi drivers regularly transport persons through the Komati Valley and Lebombo Mountains to circumvent border controls, while Zimbabwean and Malawian victims are trafficked through the Messina border28. The South Africa-Lesotho border at Maseru is also identified as a major trafficking route into South Africa, while the Barberton area in Mpumalanga is used by illegal miners to traffick women and children from Swaziland into South Africa. The destination points for these victims vary but include cities such as Johannesburg, Cape Town and farms within the Mpumalanga Province.
International Trafficking into South Africa
Apart from being a destination point for inter-regional trafficking, South Africa is also identified as an international human trafficking destination in Africa. This means that human trafficking victims are brought into South Africa from countries outside of the African continent. Cases of victims from countries such as Thailand, Philippines, India, China, Bulgaria, Romania, Russia and the Ukraine have been documented in South Africa. In 1998, for example, the dead bodies of women believed to be of Thai origin were found on a railway track by the SAPS. Investigations into the incident revealed that the women were trafficked into South Africa by an organised crime group with false promises of jobs in exclusive restaurants, and possible marriage to wealthy South African patrons. However, upon arrival in South Africa they were secluded, their travelling documents confiscated and heavy debts imposed on them by their traffickers30. An attempt to escape and expose their traffickers, could possibly have led to their murder and dumping on the railway track.
Martens et al have estimated that 1000 Thai women are trafficked into South Africa every year31. They further note that these women are usually deceived into believing that they are going to earn high wages working in restaurants in South Africa. However, on arrival the women are secluded and later auctioned off at restaurants for between R15,000 and R25,000, and forced to work as prostitutes to repay outrageous debts, which are expenses incurred by their traffickers in bringing them to South Africa32. The findings of Martens, et al, are corroborated by a report in the Nation, an online Thai newspaper. It reported the arrest of a 21-year-old transvestite at Chatuchak shopping mall in Bangkok for allegedly conspiring with at least four others to lure a woman into prostitution with the promise of a well-paid Thai massage job in South Africa.
However, on arrival in South Africa, the woman was detained in a Johannesburg hotel basement and forced into prostitution until she escaped and was later rescued by the South African police and assisted to return to Thailand. The rescued woman confirmed that ten other women were also being held by the criminal gang in South Africa, and an investigation revealed that the alleged trafficker had contacts in South Africa and Thailand33.
The Thai report cited above, also confirms the Tsireledzani report that Thai victims are often trafficked to South Africa by Thai nationals who were themselves previously trafficked to South Africa but now have their own brothels in the country34. It also indicates the involvement of large organised crime networks, such as the Russian Mafia and Bulgarian syndicates, as well as the Chinese triad and individual South Africans in the human trafficking industry. The methods employed in recruiting Thai victims as well as victims from other countries outside of the African continent include, but are not limited to, placement of adverts in newspapers and other media outlets.
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
1. IDENTIFICATION OF THE RESEARCH THEME
2. STUDY OBJECTIVES
3. LITERATURE SURVEY
4. IDENTIFICATION AND DEMARCATION OF THE RESEARCH PROBLEM
5. METHODOLOGY AND SOURCES
6. STRUCTURE OF THE RESEARCH
REFERENCES
CHAPTER TWO: HUMAN TRAFFICKING AS A SECURITY ISSUE: A CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK
1 INTRODUCTION
2 THE CONCEPT OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING
3 CONTROL AS AN INSTRUMENT OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING
4 THE CONCEPT OF ORGANISED CRIME
5 CAUSES OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING
6 THE CONCEPT OF SECURITY
7 CRITERIA FOR IDENTIFYING SECURITY THREATS
8 CONCLUSION
REFERENCES
CHAPTER THREE: HUMAN TRAFFICKING AS A GLOBAL PHENOMENON
1 INTRODUCTION
2 THE GLOBAL EXTENT OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING
3 HUMAN TRAFFICKING IN ASIA AND THE PACIFIC REGION
4 HUMAN TRAFFICKING IN EUROPE
5. HUMAN TRAFFICKING IN THE SUCCESSOR STATES OF THE UNION OF SOVIET SOCIALIST REPUBLICS
6 HUMAN TRAFFICKING IN THE AMERICAS
7 HUMAN TRAFFICKING IN AFRICA
8 GLOBAL PATTERNS AND SECURITY IMPLICATIONS
9 CONCLUSION
REFERENCES
CHAPTER FOUR: HUMAN TRAFFICKING IN SOUTH AFRICA
1 INTRODUCTION
2 PATTERNS OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING IN SOUTH AFRICA
3 HUMAN TRAFFICKING TRENDS IN SOUTH AFRICA
4 CONDITIONS FACILITATING HUMAN TRAFFICKING IN SOUTH AFRICA
5 CONCLUSION
REFERENCES
CHAPTER FIVE: HUMAN TRAFFICKING IN MOZAMBIQUE
1 INTRODUCTION
2 PATTERNS OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING IN MOZAMBIQUE
3 HUMAN TRAFFICKING TRENDS IN MOZAMBIQUE
4 CONDITIONS FACILITATING HUMAN TRAFFICKING IN MOZAMBIQUE
5 CONCLUSION
REFERENCES
CHAPTER SIX: POLICY RESPONSES TO HUMAN TRAFFICKING IN A GLOBAL, REGIONAL AND NATIONAL CONTEXT
1 INTRODUCTION
2 GLOBAL INITIATIVES TO PREVENT HUMAN TRAFFICKING
3 INITIATIVES TO PREVENT HUMAN TRAFFICKING IN AFRICA
4 EFFORTS TO PREVENT HUMAN TRAFFICKING IN SOUTHERN AFRICA
5 NATIONAL EFFORTS TO COMBAT TRAFFICKING
6 CONCLUSION
REFERENCES
CHAPTER SEVEN: EVALUATION
1 INTRODUCTION
2 SUMMARY
3 ASSESSMENT OF ASSUMPTIONS
5 CONCLUSION
REFERENCES
LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS
ABSTRACT
BIBLIOGRAPHY
