Nov 2018 2nd Edition

What you need to know about human trafficking

More Matshediso

Human trafficking can be described as a modern form of slavery that is on the rise worldwide.

Human trafficking is the world's fastest growing criminal industry and it affects every nation across the globe. 

Human trafficking is the recruitment, control, and use of people for their bodies and for their labour.

“Through force, fraud, and coercion, people everywhere are being bought and sold against their will,” said A21 South Africa, an organisation that seeks to combat its  practice. 

The organisation works in partnership with service providers and international organisations and operates in 14 different locations across the globe, including South Africa.

Types of human trafficking

There are different types of human trafficking, including:

  • Sex trafficking – forcing, deceiving, or coercing a person to perform a commercial sex act.
  • Forced labour – forcing a person to work in captivity for little or no pay.
  • Bonded labour – forcing a person to work for low wages to pay back an impossible debt.
  • Involuntary domestic servitude – forcing a person to work and live in the same place for little or no pay. 
  • Child soldiers – forcing a child to participate in an armed force.

Methods used to recruit victims:

  • False job advertisement
  • Sold by family
  • Abduction
  • Trafficked by a friend
  • False immigration   

Did you know

False job advertisements lead up to 44.5 percent of trafficked persons in the country

For more information call the South African National Human Trafficking Resource Line on 0800 222 777

Safety and Security
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