HUMAN TRAFFICKING NOT TAKEN SERIOUSLY

Sir,

The United Nations  Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, defines Trafficking in Persons as the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of persons, by means of the threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person.For a situation to be considered an act of trafficking in humans there have to be three elements present; the action, the means and the purpose/exploitation. Here’s how ‘Maya’ was an accomplice in trafficking her friends:

The action is the movement of a person or people from one place to another – the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of persons. “The three pupils from Ezulwini Community High School are said to have missed classes to spend several days with unknown men, after they were allegedly enticed by their colleague”Maya recruited, transported and assisted in the harbouring of her friends who were received by the men.

The means of recruitment were abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits
“She is said to have promised her colleagues that they would get whatever they wanted should they consent to go with her to meet the men. Maya also got what she wanted from these men as payment”

They were promised certain benefits and payment. In the case of children though, which these teenagers clearly are, those below 18 years of age do not need to consent, meaning this step where one has to be convinced to do something is irrelevant – Article 3 (c) of the Trafficking in Persons Protocol makes the consent of a child irrelevant.
The purpose, which is the reason for this whole thing is referred to as exploitation - exploitation of the prostitution of others or other forms of sexual exploitation

Mandisa Mcanyana

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