Varsity students tackle human trafficking
AUCKLAND PARK - Human trafficking explored by University of Johannesburg’s School of Communication students.
Students of the University of Johannesburg’s School of Communication will embark on an integrated campaign to raise awareness on human trafficking in South Africa.
The campaign is in partnership with the International Organization for Migration. It forms part of the university’s annual strategic communication curriculum and student assessment.
The university’s Department of Strategic Communication lecturers Caroline Azionya and Anna Oksiutycz, together with industry mentors of the Direct Marketing Association of South Africa will provide guidance and workshops to support the students learning process.
The top five student groups will present their final campaign strategies to the migration organisation. The short-listed projects will be entered into the Assegai Integrated Marketing Awards.
The migration organisation’s media and communications officer Dixon Gaone said according to the 2013 Trafficking in Persons Report, South African citizens and foreign nationals were also subjected to human trafficking within the country.
“Children are trafficked mainly within the country, from poor rural areas to urban centres, such as Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban, and Bloemfontein,” said Gaone. “Young girls are mainly forced into commercial sex and domestic servitude, whilst young boys are forced to work in street vending, food service, begging, criminal activities and agriculture.”
The migration organisation’s South Africa chief of mission Dr Erick Ventura believed the partnership would help intensify awareness to save potential victims from exploitation and also make sure that perpetrators were brought to justice.
The university’s Department of Strategic Communication head Sonja Verwey sees it as a worthwhile cause that unleashes invaluable opportunities.
“It also provides us and them [migration organisations] with an opportunity to use our knowledge and skills to the benefit of society, thus contributing not only to quality education but also to the quality of life in our society,” she said.
