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HUMAN RIGHTS MONTH: Human trafficking constitutes a gross violation of human rights

03 April 2023 | Story Valentino Ndaba | Photo Supplied

Marcel-Van-der-Watt-380x450-1 (002) — 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

“To forgive is not an obligation. It’s a choice.” – Prof Minow during Reconciliation Lecture

2014-03-05

“To forgive is not an obligation. It’s a choice.” – Prof Minow during the Third Annual Reconciliation Lecture entitled Forgiveness, Law and Justice.
Photo: Johan Roux

No one could have anticipated the atmosphere in which Prof Martha Minow would visit the Bloemfontein Campus. And no one could have predicted how apt the timing of her message would be. As this formidable Dean of Harvard University’s Law School stepped behind the podium, a latent tension edged through the crowded audience.

“The issue of getting along after conflict is urgent.”

With these few words, Prof Minow exposed the essence of not only her lecture, but also the central concern of the entire university community.

As an expert on issues surrounding racial justice, Prof Minow has worked across the globe in post-conflict societies. How can we prevent atrocities from happening? she asked. Her answer was an honest, “I don’t know.” What she is certain of, on the other hand, is that the usual practice of either silence or retribution does not work. “I think that silence produces rage – understandably – and retribution produces the cycle of violence. Rather than ignoring what happens, rather than retribution, it would be good to reach for something more.” This is where reconciliation comes in.

Prof Minow put forward the idea that forgiveness should accompany reconciliation efforts. She defined forgiveness as a conscious, deliberate decision to forego rightful grounds of resentment towards those who have committed a wrong. “To forgive then, in this definition, is not an obligation. It’s a choice. And it’s held by the one who was harmed,” she explained.

Letting go of resentment cannot be forced – not even by the law. What the law can do, though, is either to encourage or discourage forgiveness. Prof Minow showed how the law can construct adversarial processes that render forgiveness less likely, when indeed its intention was the opposite. “Or, law can give people chances to meet together in spaces where they may apologise and they may forgive,” she continued. This point introduced some surprising revelations about our Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC).

Indeed, studies do report ambivalence, disappointment and mixed views about the TRC. Whatever our views are on its success, Prof Minow reported that people across the world wonder how South African did it. “It may not work entirely inside the country; outside the country it’s had a huge effect. It’s a touchstone for transitional justice.”

The TRC “seems to have coincided with, and maybe contributed to, the relatively peaceful political transition to democracy that is, frankly, an absolute miracle.” What came as a surprise to many is this: the fact that the TRC has affected transitional justice efforts in forty jurisdictions, including Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Cambodia and Liberia. It has even inspired the creation of a TRC in Greensborough, North Carolina, in the United States.

There are no blueprints for solving conflict, though. “But the possibility of something other than criminal trials, something other than war, something other than silence – that’s why the TRC, I think, has been such an exemplar to the world,” she commended.

Court decision cannot rebuild a society, though. Only individuals can forgive. Only individuals can start with purposeful, daily decisions to forgive and forge a common future. Forgiveness is rather like kindness, she suggested. It’s a resource without limits. It’s not scarce like water or money. It’s within our reach. But if it’s forced, it’s not forgiveness.

“It is good,” Prof Minow warned, “to be cautious about the use of law to deliberately shape or manipulate the feelings of any individual. But it is no less important to admit that law does affect human beings, not just in its results, but in its process.” And then we must take responsibility for how we use that law.

“A government can judge, but only people can forgive.” As Prof Minow’s words lingered, the air suddenly seemed a bit more buoyant.

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