Times Of Swaziland: HUMAN TRAFFICKING SHAME

HUMAN TRAFFICKING SHAME
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BY MDUDUZI MAGAGULA on 10/11/2013 06:57:00


MBABANE - Swaziland is a source, destination, and transit country for women and
children who are subjected to trafficking for sexual exploitation, domestic
servitude and forced labour in agriculture.
Swazi girls, particularly orphans, are subjected to sex trafficking and domestic
servitude in the cities of Mbabane and Manzini, as well as in South Africa,
Mozambique and the United States.
Some Swazi women are forced into prostitution in South Africa and Mozambique
after voluntarily migrating in search of work.
This is an analysis by the Trafficking of Persons Report 2013 where Swaziland
was classified on the second tier in terms of human trafficking.
This classification means the country had in place most of the legislation to
prevent the trafficking of humans but failed in the implementation of same.
According to the report, traffickers force Mozambican women into prostitution in
Swaziland, or transit Swaziland with their victims on their way to South Africa.
It also said Mozambican boys migrate to Swaziland to work as car washers,
livestock herding and portering. Some of these boys subsequently become victims
of forced labour.
The report which was published recently by the Government of the United States
of America also claimed that Swazi chiefs coerce children and adults, through
threats and intimidation, to work in their fields.
“Swazi boys and foreign children are forced to labour in commercial
agriculture and market vending within the country.”
“Traffickers appear to utilise Swaziland as a transit country for transporting
foreign victims from beyond the region to South Africa for forced labour; in
2011, Swazi authorities intercepted several transiting Indian nationals and, in
2012, a few cases of Ugandan and Chinese nationals.”
It also reports that during the year, a young Nigerian woman and two Mozambican
boys were discovered in forced labour in market vending.
The report also suggests that labour brokers fraudulently recruit and charge
excessive fees to Swazi nationals for work in South African mines - means often
used to facilitate trafficking crimes.
“Swazi men in border communities are also recruited for forced labour in South
Africa’s timber industry,” reads the report in part.
It says the government of Swaziland does not fully comply with the minimum
standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant
efforts to do so.
During the year, government initiated prosecution of two suspected trafficking
offenders and recalled a Swazi diplomat from an overseas posting for alleged
trafficking complicity.
Police and immigration officials intercepted nine potential foreign victims in
2012, though they failed to identify or investigate cases involving Swazi
victims.
Moreover, government failed to train any of its officials, including law
enforcement personnel, on existing legislation and indicators for victim
identification, which stymied investigations and prosecutions.
During the previous reporting period (2012), government allegedly failed to
provide adequate shelter and support for victims following their identification,
which led to the deportation of six victims in 2011; this deficiency was again
highlighted in 2012, when additional victims were not provided sufficient
shelter and services—increasing their vulnerability to revictimisation.
While the anti-trafficking task force and its secretariat continued to guide
anti-trafficking efforts, a lack of funds hindered progress on all fronts,
especially with regard to the provision of adequate protection to victims.
Sicelo Dlamini, Head of the Swaziland Task Force against Human Trafficking,
confirmed that human trafficking in the country was rife and had affected the
country’s standing internationally.
He said in its efforts to address the problem, the country established a task
force about seven months ago with the aim of addressing the problem.
Dlamini said the task force would among other things work hard to improve the
country’s  standing by addressing trafficking which he said at times went
undictated because of lack of education.
“Our aim is to have Swaziland removed from countries listed as high-risk for
human trafficking. I am happy to say we have improved tremendously since we were
established a few months ago,” he said.