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PRETORIA, South Africa, October 31, 2008/African Press Organization (APO)/ — IOM Press Briefing Notes
IOM and USAID this week released
a new six-month study, entitled “No Experience Necessary: The Internal
Trafficking of Persons in South Africa.” This qualitative study is the first
survey research on the trafficking in children, women and men for labour and
sexual exploitation within
The study focused primarily on
public sector and civil society outreach workers, law enforcement and social workers,
to determine their levels of awareness and first-hand information on
trafficking, its nature, causes, routes and victims in
USAID’s Mission Director, Dr.
Carleene Dei, reports: “We know human trafficking occurs in
According to researcher, Laura
Bermudez, “many people don’t immediately understand the issue of internal
trafficking because they have always understood trafficking to be of a
cross-border nature. Once they relay their first hand experiences,
however, the cases they speak of are clearly situations of trafficking in
persons.” Bermudez found that internal trafficking covers the spectrum of
purposes, including sexual exploitation and forced labour, the latter being an
issue that little was known about prior to this study.
Bermudez highlights the crucial
need to move beyond the concept that trafficking is only a cross-border issue.
Instead, the vulnerabilities facing the country and its people from within must
be considered and used to develop an integrated, proactive approach to the
problem. Bermudez recommends incorporating development to create a
concerted response by all stakeholders.
With USAID funding of $650,000
(about R6.5 million), IOM has trained more than 600 civil society and community
representatives to identify and provide services to trafficking in persons
victims. IOM runs a Human Trafficking toll-free helpline: 0800 555
99.
SOURCE : International Office of Migration (IOM)
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