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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

Inauguration of Prof Francis Petersen as 14th Vice-Chancellor and Rector of the UFS
2017-05-23

Description: Prof Petersen Inauguration Charl Devenish photo Tags: Prof Petersen Inauguration Charl Devenish photo

Dr Khotso Mokhele, Chancellor of the UFS, robes Prof Francis Petersen as Vice-Chancellor and Rector of the UFS.
Photo: Charl Devenish

“At the UFS, we want to produce graduates for the world, and we need to ensure that we use our knowledge to uplift society”
— Prof Francis Petersen, 14th Vice-Chancellor and Rector of the University of the Free State (UFS)

On Friday 19 May 2017, the University of the Free State (UFS) celebrated the inauguration of its 14th Vice-Chancellor and Rector, Prof Francis Petersen. The formal inauguration was held in the Odeion Theatre on the Bloemfontein Campus. The ceremony was preceded by a week-long welcoming programme on the three UFS campuses.

The guest list included representatives from local and provincial government, vice-chancellors and rectors from across South Africa, and senior members of the university’s executive management.

During the inaugural address, Prof Petersen paid tribute to his predecessors for the role they played in making the university what it is today. This included former rectors and vice-chancellors who attended the ceremony, such as Prof Francois Retief and Prof Frederick Fourie, and Prof Stef Coetzee and Prof Jonathan Jansen who were unable to attend.

Prof Petersen characterised 2015 and 2016 as watershed years for the South African higher-education system. “The Rhodes Must Fall, and subsequent Fees Must Fall student and staff protests challenged us, and re-energised a critical engagement around the purpose of the university in an equal society, both as a site of complicity and as a potential agent for social change,” said Prof Petersen.

He committed himself to developing the UFS into an institution that will have an even greater impact than before.

“This institution I am striving to establish will be one that responds positively to inclusivity, diversity, and transformation, and which can incorporate these values into our curriculum, scholarship, and research in a productive way,” said Prof Petersen.

Prof Petersen emphasised the importance of the three-campus model. “The University of the Free State is ONE university with three campuses: the Bloemfontein Campus, our South Campus, and the Qwaqwa Campus. I am committed to align the activities of the three campuses, and to integrate our activities to a greater extent.

“We must work together to infuse each campus with the values we have identified as essential if we are to make our mark as a united University of the Free State: academic excellence, diversity and inclusivity, and innovation.”

The Chancellor, Dr Khotso Mokhele, had the honour of handing over the gown to Prof Petersen. Prof Lis Lange, Vice-Rector: Academic, explained the relationship between the university and the Basotho people, and how this relationship is honoured through the official procession gowns of the UFS. The Basotho blanket is worn by kings, and the university therefore hopes that the symbolism of the gown would be a source of inspiration to Prof Petersen.

The event was concluded by congratulatory messages from former colleagues and the President of the Student Representative Council on the Bloemfontein Campus, SK Luwaca. The event was elegant and graceful – the inaugural address was thought-provoking and inspiring.

 

Official Inauguration Ceremony:

19 May 2017
Bloemfontein Campus

 Description: Official Inauguration photo small Tags: Official Inauguration photo small


"I challenge you to dream big and do big." - Prof Petersen

 

Photo Caption: Dr Khotso Mokhele, Chancellor of the UFS, robes Prof Francis Petersen as Vice-Chancellor and Rector of the UFS.
Photo: Johan Roux

Short biography of Prof Francis Petersen
Inaugural address: 19 May 2017
Transcription of the ceremony
Photo Gallery
Video

 

Welcoming Ceremonies:

The week of 11-19 May 2017 was one of the highlights in this year’s calendar for staff and students of the University of the Free State (UFS), with various ceremonies taking place to welcome Prof Francis Petersen – who assumed his duties on 1 April 2017 – as the 14th Vice-Chancellor and Rector. The festivities culminated in the official inauguration ceremony at the Bloemfontein Campus on 19 May 2017.
 
The Qwaqwa Campus welcoming ceremony took place on Thursday 11 May 2017, attracting a wide spectrum of community leaders from the area. Prof Petersen was welcomed by representatives from the two trade unions, National Education Health and Allied Workers Union (Nehawu) and UVPERSU, as well as representatives from the Student Representative Council (SRC), the Thabo Mofutsanyana Education District, and the House of Traditional Leaders. Paramount Queen Mopeli of the Bakoena Royal House bestowed a special honour upon Prof Petersen by clothing him in a traditional Basotho blanket and hat. She said, "From our heart of hearts, welcome, Prof Francis ..., and all Godspeed during your tenure."
 
The South Campus in Bloemfontein hosted a welcoming ceremony for the new Vice-Chancellor and Rector on 18 May 2017. The ceremony included a number of vocal performances and messages from various stakeholder groups. The same afternoon, the Institute for Reconciliation and Social Justice (IRSJ) also facilitated a panel discussion, titled Diversity, inclusivity, and social justice and the renewed call for decolonisation, in the Albert Wessels Auditorium (AWO) on the Bloemfontein Campus.

The welcoming ceremonies culminated in an event in the Callie Human Centre on Friday 19 May 2017 at the Bloemfontein Campus, with a number of performances by musicians associated with the UFS, marimbas, drum majorettes from Jim Fouche Secondary School, the Grey College Gumboots, and school choirs from Eunice Secondary School, Brebner Primary School, and Willem Postma Primary School. Representatives from key stakeholders such as Nehawu, UVPERSU, the Campus Ministries Forum, SRC, Alumni, Convocation, and the UFS Council had the opportunity to convey their messages of welcome to Prof Petersen.
 
The formal inauguration ceremony took place in the Odeion Theatre on the Bloemfontein Campus the same day.

 

Qwaqwa Campus ceremony:

11 May 2017
Qwaqwa Campus

 Description: Prof Petersen with the queen 2 Tags: Prof Petersen with the queen 2

 

"Qwaqwa Campus is the perfect laboratory for sustainable sciences.” – Prof Petersen

 

Photo caption: Paramount Queen Mopeli of the Bakoena Royal House with Prof Petersen and his wife, Cheslyn.
Photo: Mamosa Makaya

Photo Gallery
Video

Read the full story
Transcription of the ceremony

 

South Campus ceremony:

18 May 2017
South Campus

 Description: South Campus welcoming Tags: South Campus welcoming

 

"South Campus: you aspire excellence, adding to diversity and you are innovative in what you do." - Prof Petersen

Photo caption: Flag bearers and drummers walking to the Madiba Arena.
Photo: Hannes Pieterse

Photo Gallery

Read the full story
Transcription of the ceremony

 

 

Bloemfontein Campus panel discussion:

Panel discussion: Diversity, inclusivity and social justice and the renewed call for decolonisation
18 May 2017
Bloemfontein Campus

 Description: Panel discussion 18 May 2017 Tags: Panel discussion 18 May 2017


"The UFS should be a place of belonging for everyone." - Prof Petersen

 

Photo caption: from left: SK Luwaca (SRC President, Bloemfontein Campus), Prof Elelwani Ramugondo (UCT), Prof Francis Petersen (UFS), Prof Melissa Steyn (WITS), Prof Andre Keet (UFS)
Photo: Lelanie de Wet

Photo Gallery

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Transcription of panel discussion



 

Bloemfontein Campus ceremony:

19 May 2017
Bloemfontein Campus

 Description: Bloem welcoming ceremony on 19 May 2017 Tags: Bloem welcoming ceremony on 19 May 2017


"I can just say, Wow! I've experienced a lot during the welcoming functions on all three campuses." - Prof Petersen

 

Photo caption: Prof Francis Petersen, Vice-Chancellor and Rector of the UFS
Photo: Rulanzen Martin

Photo Gallery

Read the full story
Transcription of the ceremony


 

 

Description: Inauguration and welcoming of Prof Petersen combined gallery Tags: Inauguration and welcoming of Prof Petersen combined gallery

Photo gallery of Inauguration and Welcoming Ceremonies

 

 

 

 

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