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#YouthMonth: Celebrating youth empowerment (Boitumelo Mokheseng)

22 June 2023 | Story Boitumelo Mokheseng | Photo Supplied

The University of the Free State (UFS) is celebrating Youth Month by showcasing the positive influence of the institution on career development. As part of this initiative, we are sharing the stories of UFS alumni who are now working at the university.

Boitumelo Mokheseng, Presidential Youth Employment Initiative (PYEI) Intern in the Qwaqwa Campus Health and Wellness Centre, shares her UFS journey:

Q: Year of graduation from the UFS:

A: 2021.

Q: Qualification obtained from the UFS:

A: Bachelor of Administration.

Q: Date of joining the UFS as a staff member:

A: March 2023.

Q: Initial job title and current job title:

A: PYEI intern in the Qwaqwa Campus Health and Wellness Centre.

Q: How did the UFS prepare you for the professional world?

A: The University of the Free State (UFS) propelled me towards the career path I had always aspired to. The comprehensive education I received not only equipped me with the necessary skills for the workplace, but also fostered a problem-solving mindset that was ingrained in us from our undergraduate years.

Q: What are your thoughts on transitioning from a UFS alumnus to a staff member?

A: The transition from being a UFS student to a staff member has been wonderful, even though challenging, because now I get to feel the pressure that the clinic staff felt while I was a student. For instance, when visiting the clinic before, I didn’t understand why there are long queues, why we are not assisted in time; since I’m the one assisting the students with the booking systems and making sure they get to the consulting rooms, I now understand how things work.

Q: Any additional comments about your experience?

A: Working here at the UFS has been a dream come true. I am fascinated daily by meeting up with inspiring people who motivate me to do better in life, and I keep learning new things. The experience so far is good; I have acquired new skills, moved from office work and got involved in campaigns such as First Things First where I can engage more with students and meet the different stakeholders from the health department. I’m thankful for the great opportunity the university has given me to be part of it as a staff member – no longer a student.

News Archive

Regional Conference on Trafficking in Human Beings

2007-06-29

Trafficking in Human Beings:
National and International Perspectives

Date: 17th August 2007
Address: CR Swart Auditorium, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa.

Every year thousands of children and adults become victims of trafficking and abuse in South Africa and throughout the southern African region. Victims are trafficked for a myriad of reasons: sexual exploitation, including prostitution and pornography; illegal labour, including child conscription; domestic servitude; illegal adoptions; body parts/organs; and forced marriages.

The Unit for Children’s Rights, Department of Criminal and Medical Law, University of the Free State (UFS), together with the Centre for Continuing Legal Education at UFS, will host a Regional Conference on Trafficking in Human Beings. The conference will bring together key role-players from the South African government as well as crucial international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in the region.

Trafficking in human beings, especially women and children, is a serious violation of the human rights of the victims, as well as an extremely profitable source of income to organized crime, and needs the attention and intervention of both governmental and non-governmental institutions in South Africa.

Speakers will include representatives from the United National Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), the South African Law Reform Commission, the Unit for Children’s Rights-UFS, and NGOs Molo Songololo and Terre Des Homes, that work with child trafficking victims in South Africa and around the world.

The media are invited to report on the conference, and interview speakers and presenters Attached find programme. For more info contact the following persons.

1. Beatri Kruger - 051 401 2108 / email: krugerh.rd@mail.ufs.ac.za
2. Susan Kreston - 051 401 9562 / email: krestons.rd@mail.ufs.ac.za
3. Elizabeth Snyman – 051 401 2268 / email: snymane.rd@mail.ufs.ac.za

Programme

Trafficking in human beings:
National & international perspectives

Presented by The Unit for Children’s Rights, Department Of Criminal & Medical Law , Faculty of Law, in Conjunction with The Centre for Continuing Legal Education, University of the Free State.

Funded through the Generosity of the United States Department of State

17 AUGUST, 2007 – CR SWART AUDITORIAM

8:00-8:30 Registration & Tea
8:30-8:45 Opening & Welcome
Prof. JJ Henning, Faculty of Law
8:45-9:40 Overview & Global Perspective
Prof. Susan Kreston - Unit for Children’s Rights, Faculty of Law-UFS

9:40-10:00 TEA

10:00-10:45 International Perspectives & the Role of Organized Crime in Trafficking
Wiesje Zikkenheiner, Associate Expert
United Nations Office on Drugs & Crime, Pretoria
10:45-11:45 Identifying and Assisting Victims of Trafficking
Marija Nikolovska, Project Officer
International Organization for Migration, Pretoria

11:45-12:30 LUNCH

12:30-1:15 Prosecuting Trafficking Without Trafficking Laws
Adv. Nolwandle Qaba, Sexual Offences & Community Affairs Unit
National Prosecuting Authority, Pretoria
1:15-2:15 Recommendations for New Legislation in South Africa
Lowesa Stuurman - South African Law Reform Commission, Pretoria

2:15-2:30 TEA

2:30-2:50 The Role of Terre Des Homes in Fighting Trafficking in Children
Judith Mthombeni– Terre Des Homes, Pretoria
2:50-3:50 Trafficking in Children in South Africa – A Front Line Perspective
Patrick Solomon - Molo Songololo, Cape Town
3:50-4:00 Closing Remarks
Adv. Beatri Kruger
Department of Criminal & Medical Law - UFS

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