COUNTER TRAFFICKING OF WOMEN AND CHILDREN

In May 2002 an International Conference on  “21st Century Slavery: The Human Dimension: Trafficking in Human Beings” was organized by the Diplomatic Corps accredited to the Holy See.   They discovered that religious sisters were already working in the field, but in solitude and unsupported.   The decision was made that the project would be taken on by the IOM (International Organisation for Migration) under the auspices of the UISG (Union of Superiors General).   It would be funded by the U S Diplomatic Embassy to the Holy See with the aim to develop and evaluate training modules for religious sisters..   Training has already been carried out in 10 countries around the world and about 350 sisters attended the training.

The objectives of the Workshop as outlined for the participants were:

• to increase the understanding of the complex phenomenon of trafficking in human beings with a particular focus on women and children.

• to reflect on the quality of services offered in the field of prevention, rehabilitation and re-insertion of trafficked persons.

• to create a network of collaboration and communication among women religious in the country of origin, transit or destination, with a view to strengthening the trans-national anti-trafficking network.

WHAT IS TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS?

  The UN Protocol Definition gives the following 3 elements:

• the recruitment, transfer, harbouring or receipt of persons
• by means of threat, use of force or other forms of coercion or abduction, the use of fraud, deception, abuse of power or a position of vulnerability, of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits in order to achieve the consent of a person or having control over another person
• for the purpose of exploitation

Exploitation includes,at a minimum, the exploitation of the prostitution of others(or other forms of sexual exploitation e.g. for pornography) forced labour or services, slavery or practices similar to slavery, servitude, or the removal of organs.

WHO ARE THE VICTIMS OF TRAFFICKING?

• Cheated, vulnerable persons who need to leave a country torn by war, conflict, abuse, ethnical/political persecution, discrimination…..which leads them to overlook doubtful proposals and loopholes in a contract, thus weakening the defences of the victim who becomes easy prey to the trafficker during these periods of desperation.
• Also the misled family who is seduced by opportunities offered – families involuntarily push their children towards the traffickers who give false promises of  study, work, marriage …

SOUTH AFRICA which is a country of Source, Transit and Destination has no legislation in place as yet, which criminalizes T I P (Trafficking in Persons).   There is a comprehensive Draft anti-trafficking bill in place for some years, but not yet finalized in law.

The IOM Southern Africa Counter Trafficking Assistance Programme(SACTAP) has found that TIP is thriving in Southern Africa with South Africa and its expanding sex industry the main regional destination.   Victims are trafficked from SADC states into S Africa as well as from S East Asia and Eastern Europe.

WHY?  Globally, human trafficking is considered the 3rd largest source of profits for organized crime with only weapons trafficking and drug smuggling more lucrative.   Trafficking in women is lucrative because, unlike commercial commodities, women can be sold many times.   The UN estimated that the industry is worth 5 to 7 billion dollars per year.

During the sisters’ Workshop, the participants had the opportunity to attend a conference on the subject, organized by the Anglican Church at St George’s Cathedral.   On the platform were leaders/representatives of the faith-based communities who each contributed an address or prayer.   A representative from the UN gave the keynote address in which he described TIP as “a despicable crime” and while acknowledging the role of the churches in speaking out against it he reminded that criminals will not be stopped by moral outrage alone.   Consequently there is a need for countries to sign the  UN Protocol and to have the needed law in place.

The sisters joined a march through the main street of Cape Town to a platform where Archbishop Ndungane gave the final address

The Workshop included much dialogue, group discussion, group work and sharing of experience by the participants, as well as input from the IOM members through powerpoint presentations.   Plans for the next 6 months were made by the groups from the different provinces/areas on what steps to take in contributing to eliminate the scourge of TIP from society.   An important element of the work is to raise awareness in communities.   Through talks in parishes,, distribution of information on flyers, speaking out whenever, wherever it is possible, a wider network for prevention will be established.

  Following the workshop, but not related to it, on the 15th December the Western Cape Province Task Team (WCPTT) against Human Trafficking was launched in Cape Town.   The  Task Team consists of 12 organisations, all NGO’s working mainly against injustices to women and children e.g. Rape Crisis, IOM, Commission for Gender Equality etc…  The WCPTT exists to ensure that the Western Cape Province is free from all forms of TIP, through a comprehensive approach, to support the prevention of TIP, the protection of trafficked persons and the prosecution of traffickers.

The LCCL(SA)  (Leadership Conference of Consecrated Persons of S Africa) have obtained membership of the WCPTT and they have mandated Sr Monica Shanley IBVM and Sr Helen O Connell SN to be their representatives on the Task Team.

A follow-up Workshop for the sisters will take place in early-March.

We can all pray to God, Whose precious children we all are, that this scourge, this despicable crime will be eradicated from our world.