Students gained valuable insights into the topic of human trafficking thanks to a partnership between the Faculty of Business and Management Sciences and A21, an organisation which fights human trafficking.

Co-ordinated by Mandie Richards, Senior Lecturer and Transformation Forum Chairperson, and Douglas Dyers, Lecturer and Transformation Forum Representative in the Faculty, the project saw Katie Modrau, A21 South Africa Country Manager, and Chené Fourie, the A21 SA Reach Co-ordinator, sharing information with academics and students.

They interacted with Diversity Management second-year students, co-ordinated by Richards and Advanced Diploma Project Administration students, co-ordinated by Dyers, as students worked on their research projects, which were integrated into the curriculum of their respective subjects.

Richards stated: “False promise and hope are often sold to people, and it is indeed tragic that people are exploited for financial gain, and traffickers take advantage of the vulnerabilities and desperation of people. Even more shocking is that one in every four children are victims of human trafficking.”

Dyers commented: “Human Trafficking is a crime hidden in plain sight, it happens in our communities often, and the responsibility of the Advanced Diploma students is to create awareness as to this shocking crime. The fulltime and part-time students created awareness through activations on campus, as well as in shopping malls and in community spaces”.

“According to national statistics, 30% of people who are trafficked know the traffickers as they are either friends or family members,” said Fourie. She also shared the toll-free number - 0800 222777, which is open 24/7 and 365 days a year, and encouraged students to save the number and to report anything suspicious with regards to the red flags identified in the conversation. She further advised students of the job vetting service offered by A21, should it be required.

Students engaged interactively in the sessions and shared many questions and comments.

Tshepo Ngwane voiced the question many students enquired about: “What signs or indicators should we look for to help identify potential trafficking situations?” Sibabalwe Hlazo commented: “The high unemployment rate and lack of resources is the key contributing factor to human trafficking”, whilst Luzette Tobias, stated: “I never knew that human trafficking was a big thing in South Africa until now. I always thought it just happens overseas”.

Fourie further cautioned students: “Be careful as to your online presence and understand that there are many fake profiles and traffickers online who want to reach and deceive vulnerable people, so do not post any personal information, which can be used to track you and blackmail you.”

Richards stated: “This cohort of second-year and Advanced Diploma students also completed a social media module: What every University Student needs to Know, and accredited by the Digital Law Academy, to prepare them to not only take precautions whilst online, but also to the various online scams in enticing young people seeking employment to various trafficking organisations.”

Students engaged in a silent protest against human trafficking at the Piazza on the District Six campus and created awareness through their digital storytelling videos and displaying their posters, which formed part of the project, in the Commerce Building. Students also joined Richards in the Walk For Freedom, which is an annual day of global awareness organised by A21, as the local action in the fight against human trafficking.

The students indicated that they gained many insights into the topic and that they were unaware of the gravity of Human Trafficking and would be able to share their knowledge in their communities to create further awareness.

Richards further emphasised that the curriculum cannot be taught in silos and that educators have the responsibility to engage young people on the realities of life and encourage them to add their voices to the conversations and share information and empower communities.

Written by CPUT News

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Emergency Medical Sciences students have helped to combat human trafficking by raising awareness on how to prevent falling victim to modern day slavery.

A group of students from the second-year Bachelor of Emergency Care class has partnered with anti-human trafficking organisation, A21, and conducted presentations at a number of events during the year.
To increase their reach, they also conducted an interview on Bok Radio.
The students undertook the project as part of the requirements for the subject of Primary Health Care.
The group consisted of Angelique Groenewald, Ed-Ruleen Kondowe, Guy Schiever, Jarred Brown, Ju-waldt Sieberhagen and Michael Watson,
“Presentations were always received well, with many people coming forward afterwards and asking questions or to schedule a follow up presentation. Information booths enabled us to connect more personally with people by engaging in one-on-one conversation. It was incredible to see how little people know about a crime that is so prevalent in their communities and even more so to be afforded the opportunity to educate them about the unseen dangers that face them,” Guy said.

For more information on A21, go to: https://www.a21.org/content/south-africa/gnr2js?permcode=gnr2js

Written by Ilse Fredericks
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To celebrate World Day Against Trafficking in Persons the Department of Student Affairs and NGO Stop Trafficking of People (STOP) held a seminar to disseminate information about combatting the illegal trade. 

Adv Lionel Harper, acting Head of Student Affairs, said the university’s management denounces the scourge of human trafficking that is confronting the world.

“The entire CPUT community takes a strong stand against human trafficking, even the Council has pronounced that CPUT should create greater awareness among our communities,” said Harper.

“Human trafficking targets the most vulnerable in the society, the poor as well as the uneducated.”

He added that social media has often been used by traffickers to lure young unsuspecting victims into the trade and acknowledged the trafficking of people born with albinism as one of the threats facing the nation, including that of forced drug addiction that is associated human trafficking.

Bertha Bresler, STOP national office administrator, discouraged the audience from wearing or carrying personalised clothing or regalia as well as posting photos revealing their whereabouts on social media.

To demonstrate how gullible and desperate people get tricked into the trade STOP volunteer Sam Stokesberry offered audience members an opportunity to star in a movie to be filmed overseas for R2 000 per day. Most audience members expressed interest by show of hands only for Stokesberry to reveal that in that moment she had managed to traffic many people.

“If an opportunity sounds too good to be true, it probably is,” she emphasised. “Think before you act.”

Videos highlighting the extent of the human trafficking in South Africa and the plight of its victims were screened during the seminar. The clips revealed that people are sold and bought for forced labour, sexual slavery, commercial sexual exploitation and organ harvesting.

Written by Kwanele Butana
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A team of ten Emergency Medical Sciences students are helping to fight the scourge of human trafficking through an awareness campaign for high school learners. 

Second-year student Stacey-Lee Trilho Alcock said that for the past four years she has been involved in fighting against human trafficking.
She said that after discussions with Dr Navindhra Naidoo, acting head of the EMS Department, she and nine classmates decided to launch an outreach programme for schools to raise awareness among learners about human trafficking.

The students are working with an anti-human trafficking organisation, A21, which aims to “reach, rescue and restore victims of slavery around the world”.
The organisation aims to reach the vulnerable and disrupt the demand, to rescue victims through identification and seek justice against their captors and to restore survivors and equip them to live independently.

Nationally the Social Development Department dealt with 220 cases of human trafficking in 2016, the provincial department of Social Development said in a statement last year.
The nine students are Lidia Strydom, Susan Coetzee, Ruan Coetzee, Raihaanah Thiart, Josslynn Killow, Mlungisi Dutywa, Athenkosi Bhusa, Matthew Denton and Zayd Fredericks.
“Initially we mainly focused on schools in the Bellville area but following requests from other schools we’ve now extended this area. We did our first presentation in April and to date, we have reached about 2 000 people,” said Stacey-Lee.

She said the presentations usually start by telling learners about the work done by A21 and explaining to them that human slavery still exists today.
“We also show them video clips, including the stories of both a trafficker and a survivor. We tell them about the strategies that are used to lure people and what they can do to help the situation, even with limited resources.”

Cornel Viljoen, South Africa Prevention & Awareness Coordinator for A21, said that students bringing awareness to peers has a great impact and motivates others to help take action.
“The students at universities are the future of this nation and will be approaching the working world after university. They are a vulnerable group due to the fact that they may be searching for part-time jobs or considering other opportunities in the working field. It is important for students to be able to identify falsework, education or internship opportunities so that they won't fall prey to the schemes of traffickers.”

The National Human Trafficking Resource Line is operated by A21 South Africa in partnership with other service providers and takes calls 24/7. The number is 0800 222 777.
Click the link to read more about the line: https://0800222777.org.za/

Written by Ilse Fredericks
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