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A decision regarding the possible covering of the MT Steyn statue in front of the Main Building on the Bloemfontein Campus has not been taken yet.
The opportunity for stakeholders to submit oral and written submissions on whether they agree or disagree with the covering of the MT Steyn statue in front of the Main Building on the Bloemfontein Campus until the formal review process on the position of the statue has been concluded, ended on Wednesday 11 April 2018, with 71 written and three oral submissions received by the special task team.
The submissions will be included in a submission to the Free State Provincial Heritage Resources Authority (FSHRA) in order to obtain a permit for the possible covering of the statue. An independent analysis of the submissions is currently underway.
The special task team would like to thank those who submitted oral and written submissions. The university community will be updated on the outcome of the decision by the FDHRA regarding the possible covering of the statue, as well as the results of the independent analysis.
Related articles:
Call for submissions for covering of the MT Steyn statue: Deadline extended to 11 April 2018 (Published on 9 April 2018)
Released by:
Lacea Loader (Director: Communication and Brand Management)
Telephone: +27 51 401 2584 | +27 83 645 2454
Email: news@ufs.ac.za | loaderl@ufs.ac.za
Fax: +27 51 444 6393
Human Trafficking in Africa presented at Cambridge Counter Trafficking Summer School
2016-08-22
Prof Beatri Kruger
The Cambridge Centre for Applied Research in Human Trafficking (CCARHT) presented the Counter Trafficking Summer School programme from 31 July to 6 August 2016 in Cambridge, England. The Summer School was based on the 2020MDS vision for graduates and young professionals in law, finance, public policy and development.
During the week-long programme, Prof Beatri Kruger, Adjunct Professor in Public Law at the University of the Free State and renowned researcher in human trafficking in South Africa, presented via Skype, some of the burning issues of human trafficking and developments in the Africa region. Her perspectives come at a crucial time in the development of research in the field, especially concerning practices that are unique to Africa and Southern Africa in particular.
Her presentation titled: Celebrations and challenges en route to #2020HTvision: Southern Africa perspective explores the significant progress made by African countries in implementing the Trafficking in Persons (TIP) legislations with some convictions and action plans to combat this heinous crime. In her lecture, Prof Kruger shared some of the controls used by traffickers over their victims. She explained that these controls range from violence to financial and psychological measures. A strong psychological control method is the use of traditional rituals, termed “Juju” or witchcraft, by Nigerian traffickers, where fear is instilled in the victim to pledge loyalty to their captors. Traffickers are generally known to also use drugs and alcohol to control victims.
Prof Kruger indicated that there is a significant number of human trafficking cases recorded in South Africa. However her particular focus is on the regional tradition of Ukuthwala. This tradition was seen as a romantic game to expedite marriage negotiations, but recently the tradition is often abused to traffic young girls into forced marriages.
She mentioned that some countries in Africa such as Zambia have made significant progress with enforcing laws that criminalise the use of traditions violating human rights. Prof Kruger presented her research to various other researchers and students from regions across the globe, including Asia, the Middle East, America and Europe. This research will be published in the South African Review of Sociology in the coming months and in an international handbook on human trafficking in 2017.