- The Salvation Army South Africa held a picket to raise awareness about human trafficking.
- Police emphasised the importance of educating parents to be vigilant, to prevent children from becoming victims.
- Community leaders stressed the need for more awareness
Human trafficking, a global multi-billion-dollar crime, often thought to only occur across borders was centre stage at an awareness picket to highlight the real dangers of trafficking in local communities.
On Saturday 21 September, the Salvation Army South Africa in partnership with Grassy Park police, Grassy Park Community Policing Forum (CPF), Spiritual Crime Prevention Desk and neighbourhood watches picketed along Strandfontein Road to educate parents and residents.
Capt Juanita Wright, Salvation Army South Africa’s national Anti-Human Trafficking co-ordinator, said the initiative hoped to educate communities on the real threats of human trafficking.
“This week, internationally, as the Salvation Army we are raising awareness of the heinous crime of human trafficking also known as modern-day slavery,” she shared.
“Sadly, it is a crime that not only affects women but men, boys and girls.”
The main aim of the picket was to educate parents to be extra vigilant as children are home for the school holidays.
“Often we find adults just letting children be outside unsupervised – but we cannot do that because traffickers are out on the prowl for victims they can use for exploitation such as sexual exploitation, labour exploitation, child brides, organ trafficking….the business around human trafficking is broad and very real.”
Wright added that she hoped the campaign would prevent children from being trafficked.
“Our children are not for sale,” she said. “With the awareness campaign, we are hoping to prevent any of our children from being trafficked and kidnapped or going missing during this school holidays.”
She further explained how human trafficking can occur within local communities.
“It is important to understand when it comes to human trafficking, it’s not necessarily cross border. It can be from one community to another or one house to another,” she said. “In fact, human trafficking means the movement of people so whether it is Grassy Park to Athlone or from one road to another, it will be classified as trafficking.”
Grassy Park CPF deputy chair Nicole Jacobus commented that it was vital to raise awareness.
“We need to protect our children, women and men because it can happen to anyone,” she said.
“It is very important that we educate our communities and children.”
Reverend Vernon Jacobs, from the Grassy Park Spiritual Crime Prevention Desk, said it was worrying that people were “too relaxed” on the issue. “It is something that is very close to our hearts because our kids need to be educated properly in order to make well-informed decisions,” he said.
As a former officer in the Defence Force, Jacobs said it was time for people to face the reality that human trafficking occured in local communities.
“I am previously from the Defence Force and have seen a lot, I think we are too relaxed in our own country,” he shared. “We must come out of our comfort zones and face reality, these things are not only happening on our borders but also in our communities.”
