Women gather to picket for powerless in Durban North
A group from the Red Light programme recently picketed at intersections in Durban North to highlight the scourge of human-trafficking.
THE month of October was internationally declared as a time to raise awareness about human trafficking.
The Domino Foundation’s Red Light programme took to the streets of Durban North to commemorate this.
Survivors of human trafficking, who have been through Red Light’s ‘Rescue, Restoration and Release’ programme, joined the foundation’s members at various intersections.
All of the women were masked, not only because of lockdown protocols, but also because, all too often, victims of human-trafficking and gender-based violence are faceless and have to carry their suffering anonymously.
“People don’t realise that ‘ladies of the night’ more often than not have been tricked into the sex trade and are grossly abused, physically and emotionally,” said organiser and restore co-ordinator for Red Light, Gugu Mazwele.
READ ALSO: Join Red Light’s fight against human trafficking
She said the response from many motorists, who were curious about the placards the women were holding, was positive.
“People reading the messages on the placards like ‘Stop Sexual Exploitation – I’m not for sale!’ waved and hooted at us. When we explained more about what we were doing, we had an opportunity to distribute the Power2You packs,” she said.
The packs contained a whistle, a can of pepper spray, a gender-based violence (GBV) journal for abused women to record their personal stories and a GBV emergency contact card.
These were donated to Red Light activation by the Kolisi Foundation, established by Boks captain, Siya Kolisi and his wife, Rachel.
The organisation’s main aim is to mobilise and advocate for systemic change and amplifies the good work done by organisations that serve communities.
Mazwele added that Durban North residents responded so well that her team ran out of the Power2You packs.
“We are very grateful to the Kolisi Foundation for their support and look forward to partnering in the future to break the cycle of violence against the most vulnerable in our society: the women and the children,” she said.
Mazwele invites people interested in Red Light’s work to contact her on 031 563 9605 or to email restore@domino.org.za.
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