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03 April 2023 | Story Valentino Ndaba | Photo Supplied
Dr Marcel van der Watt is a Research Fellow at the Free State Centre for Human Rights at the University of the Free State.

Not only is human trafficking illegal, but it also constitutes a gross violation of human rights. The fundamental rights of trafficked individuals to make their own decisions, to move freely, and to work for whomever they choose are violated by traffickers, who treat them like a commodity.

The first report from a larger study on the scope and nature of human trafficking in South Africa was released at an opportune moment, as the country observes Human Rights Month. The study's recommendations will help to ensure that South Africans' rights are upheld and safeguarded. The evidence of the comprehensive study (to be released in March) will elevate data into a more prominent role in public-policy debates and bolster South African institutional capacity to participate in, and lead this process through partnership with United States institutions and engagement with the Government of South Africa (GOSA).

The report is a culmination of a comprehensive multi-year, multi-sectoral, and multidisciplinary Trafficking in Person (TIP) study conducted by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in collaboration with research partners, including Dr Marcel van der Watt, a Research Fellow in the Free State Centre for Human Rights (FSCHR) at the University of the Free State (UFS). 

The goal of the report titled: Research into the nature and scope of trafficking in persons in South Africa: Prevalence insights from the criminal justice system and relevant reporting mechanisms, is to educate policymakers in the GOSA, as well as development and implementing partners, service providers, and others about the scope and nature of trafficking in persons in South Africa.

According to Dr Marcel van der Watt, “the findings from the research confirm that sex trafficking continues to make up most of both reported cases and prosecutions of TIP, while labour trafficking prosecutions, similar to trends observed internationally, are severely lacking. Extreme violence is meted out by traffickers, while places where exploitation occurs are embedded in communities and operate for protracted periods without any meaningful law enforcement intervention. The prominence of consumer‐level demand for commercial sex was evident in potentially thousands of sex buyers who “used the services” of adult and child victims of sex trafficking.”

“Despite adequate laws to address this dimension of TIP in South Africa, sex buyers continue to exploit women and children with impunity. Several adult websites, some advertised on public roadways, are repeatedly implicated in ongoing and successful sex trafficking prosecutions, yet none have been prosecuted,” said the UFS Research Fellow. 

He added that the findings are but just some of those that paint a concerning picture, especially considering the proposed Bill by the South African government that will make brothels, brothel-keeping, pimping and sex buying legal in the country. The question we need to ask is: How will this play out in neighbourhoods and communities across the country? And how will this decision impact the issue of Gender Based Violence, the safety of women and children, and the problem of human trafficking in the country?

Findings and recommendations

The study's findings show that sex trafficking continues to account for the majority of TIP prosecutions and reported cases, whereas labour trafficking prosecutions are severely inadequate, in line with global trends.

The following recommendations were presented to the Government of South Africa:

  • Establishing an integrated information system to support effective monitoring and implementation of the PACOTIP Act and providing evidence on TIP prevalence, as specified in Section 41(1) (b)
  • Employ Section 7 of the PACOTIP Act and Sections 11 and 17 of the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences and Related Matters) Amendment Act 32 of 2007 as legislative tools to reduce the demand that encourages trafficking in persons for sexual exploitation
  • Implement and abide by South African Police Service National Instruction 4 of 2015 to the letter, which is concerned with data integrity, the use of detectives in police stations, and the recording of TIP and associated information on the SAPS crime administration system.
  • In addition to financial investigations, asset forfeiture, and a counter-corruption strategy, establish specialised capacity for proactive, intelligence-led, and court-driven investigations.
  • In research and policy discussions pertaining to prostitution and pornography, gender-based violence, child abuse, labor violations, and irregular migration, give priority to the legally binding TIP definition and "abuse of vulnerability" as defined in the PACOTIP Act in order to accurately identify and prevent the undercounting of TIP cases among these phenomena.
  • Recognise the National Human Trafficking Hotline as an additional official South African reporting system that accepts TIP reports.

About the Free State Centre for Human Rights (FSCHR)

The FSCHR is an institution that focuses on the connection between human rights and transformation through its critical, interdisciplinary, and contextually involved research, advocacy, and legal practice. Research, advocacy, and litigation at the Centre concentrate on issues in the UFS, Bloemfontein, the Free State province, and Lesotho.

Human Rights and Impoverishment, Human Rights and Democracy, and Human Rights and Identities are the three main areas of research for the FSCHR. Courses offered by the Centre include the Interdisciplinary Masters of Human Rights, a Master’s Degree by Full Dissertation, and a doctoral programme in Human Rights, including Doctor of Laws (LLD) and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD). 

The Centre is primarily a research institution for academia, although it also engages in contextual work. In addition to its Research and Postgraduate Divisions, the Centre has a Legal Services Division that works as a Free State-focused public interest litigation unit in collaboration with the UFS Law Clinic and an Advocacy Division that advocates for transformation-related human rights at the UFS.

On the campuses of UFS and more broadly in the Free State Province, Lesotho, and all of South Africa, the Advocacy Division fosters transformation through advocating for and educating about human rights. The FSCHR's Legal Services Division is a strategic litigation unit for human rights that represents clients in court on their behalf or as amicus curiae in an effort to advance social justice, human rights, and transformation. 

The Division focuses on issues that arise in the Free State Province regarding evictions, socioeconomic issues, service delivery issues, accountability in municipal and provincial governance, and corruption. The South African Human Rights Commission, Free State Province, and the UFS Law Clinic cooperate with the Division's operations.

News Archive

#Women’sMonth: A career in Sign Language interpreting proves to be full of rewards for Natasha Parkins-Maliko
2017-08-03

 Description: Natasha Parkins-Maliko new Tags: Natasha Parkins-Maliko new 

Natasha Parkins-Maliko. She
was recently awarded the Pansalb
Multilingual Award in the category:
Translation and Interpreting 2016/2017,
as recognition for her achievements
in a sixteen-year career.
Photo: Supplied

Natasha Parkins-Maliko is an alumna of the University of the Free State who graduated with a master’s in Linguistics. She is a well-rounded interpreter with a language combination of South African Sign Language-English-Afrikaans. She continued her studies and achieved an international master’s in Sign Language interpreting at the Humak University of Applied Sciences in Finland.  Natasha was recently presented with the Pansalb Multilingual Award in the category: Translation and Interpreting 2016/2017, as recognition for her achievements in a sixteen-year career.

“Winning the Pansalb Translation and Interpreting Award for 2016/2017, was for me as Kovsie a pat on the back in the true sense of the word.  The university is where I started my journey in South African Sign Language interpreting, and from then on, I never looked back,” she said.

Her interpreting career has provided many challenges, and was accompanied by great achievements along the way.

A career of fulfilment in Sign Language

“The foundation of my success was laid by my lecturers and mentors, such as Dr Philemon Akach and Emily Matabane, where I trained in the Department of South African Sign Language (SASL) at the university.”

“My determination and success is grounded in the motto, ‘Inspiring Excellence, Transforming Lives’ – a continued journey in excellence gives a renewed sense of pride for all language practitioners in South Africa,” she said.

Natasha went on to work in the deaf community for most of her career. She started as a grassroots interpreter, and is now a professional interpreter registered with SATI (South African Translators Institute). She is also a Sign Language television interpreter on SABC for content such as SABC 3 news bulletins, the budget speech, opening of Parliament, Youth Day broadcasts, January 8th statement broadcasts, MPC Reserve Bank speeches, and many more. Natasha is not only concerned with growing her career – despite her mover and shaker persona, she still takes time to volunteer her services for deaf people who do not have the financial ability to pay for interpreting.

“Winning the Pansalb Translation and
Interpreting Award for 2016/2017, was
for me as Kovsie a pat on the back in
the true sense of the word.”

The journey to excellence never stops
Over and above lecturing in Interpreting and Translation at Wits University, Natasha is still in pursuit of excellence. She is a PhD candidate in the SASL Interpreting programme at Wits University, the first of its kind in the country, and is pursuing an AIIC (International Association of Conference Interpreters) accreditation. Her aim is to put South African Sign Language interpretation on the global map.

As a role model and icon in her field, Natasha is the chairperson of the National Association of South African Sign Language Interpreters (NASASLI), the regional coordinator for the African Federation of Sign Language Interpreters (AFSLI), and the Africa regional representative on the board of the World Association of Sign Language Interpreters (WASLI).  The award presented to her is no doubt a fitting accolade and something all UFS alumni takes pride in.

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