WHITE RIVER – Child Welfare SA White River welcomed the new human-trafficking bill which the president Mr Jacob Zuma signed in parliament this week. The organisation’s operations manager Mr Johan Bosch spoke to Lowvelder with regard to the act.
He said Child Welfare SA in conjunction with Body Shop had aggressively advocated and lobbied for years for it to be passed. “We are extremely happy that this bill has been passed.”
Bosch added that the legislation affected the area dramatically due to its close proximity to the borders of Mozambique and Swaziland.
He stressed that it was very important for provincial governmental departments to work in partnerships with NGOs such as Child Welfare which had been already tackling the situation at ground level.
Zuma had signed the Prevention and Combating of Trafficking in Persons Bill into law, giving South Africa, for the first time, a single statute that tackled human trafficking holistically and comprehensively.
Spokesman for the presidency, Mr Mac Maharaj said on Monday that the legislative framework dealing with this issue had until now been fragmented.
He said for instance, the legislation dealing with sexual offences only addressed the trafficking of persons for purposes of sexual exploitation, while the Children’s Act addressed the illegal trading of children specifically.
He said besides creating the main offence of trafficking in persons, the new bill also created offences such as debt bondage, possessing, destroying or tampering with travel documents, and using the services of victims of trafficking, all of which contribute to innocent persons becoming victims of this modern-day form of slavery.
Maharaj said the main offence of trafficking in persons, for instance, attracted a maximum penalty of R100 million or life imprisonment, or both in the case of a conviction. Compensation was furthermore payable by the perpetrators to their victims.
In addition to creating very specific offences that had a bearing on trafficking in persons, Maharaj said the legislation also focused on the plight of the victims, providing them with protection and assistance to overcome their traumatic experiences.
The bill gives effect to South Africa’s international obligations in terms of a United Nations Protocol.
Bosch concluded that he hoped the drafting of the regulations to the act did not take long in order for it to be fully implemented.
