Human trafficking – the statistics are shocking
Local human trafficking syndicate hunter says children in particular need to always be somewhere safe with carefully vetted adults if away from home.
Human trafficking has been recognised as one of the world’s fastest-growing criminal enterprises and is estimated to be a $150b (about R2 766b) global industry. This is according to Laurie Pieters-James, a criminologist and human trafficking investigator.
Only two weeks ago, this journalist witnessed police and other law enforcement take control of a property in Roosevelt Park along Beyers Naudé Drive that was thought to be a human trafficking location.
“It is estimated by the US State Department that 25 million people are victims of labour and sexual exploitation,” Pieters-James said.
She says the Covid-19 pandemic plunged already at-risk populations into increased vulnerability and the resulting global recession is expected to further increase those at risk of trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation.
Impact of Covid-19 on human trafficking
- Intensified root causes of human trafficking
- Intensified and changed kinds of exploitation
- Increased impact on children
- Increased legal and illegal migration
- Disruptions in victim support and services
- Reduced law enforcement
- Interrupted financial support and funding.
Detected cases reveal
- Most victims are female
- Mainly adults but increasingly underage girls
- 46% women
- 19% girls
- 15% boys
Therefore, 30% are children worldwide. In sub-Saharan Africa though, 55% are children. The majority of these are victims of sexual trafficking for sexual exploitation.
“Children account for one-third of all detected trafficking victims. Many are used for forced labour, but the majority are for sexual exploitation. In sub-Saharan Africa, 99% of detected victims originate from the area while in Europe, only 25% are. Most of these cases come from sub-Saharan Africa or Asia.”
Low risk – high reward for traffickers (Canada)
- 12–25 typical ages of females trafficked for sexual exploitation
- $900 (about R16 596) average daily profit earned by organised crime from one trafficked person
- $5 400 (about R99 576) average weekly profits from one trafficked person
- $280 000 (about R5.1m) average annual profits from one trafficked person
- $3 276 000 (about R53.8b) average annual profits from one trafficked person.
“It is important to know that the absence of risk factors does not mean a child is not being trafficked. No two cases are precisely alike and interested parties should work hard to overcome any stereotypes that they may harbour about the appearance of victims or traffickers.”
Family members are heavily involved in nearly half of child trafficking cases.
“Traffickers are known to exploit potential victim’s vulnerabilities during recruitment and deception and manipulation which quickly escalates into violence,” Pieters-James added.
“Many victims, therefore, belong to extremely poor households, dysfunctional families, have been abandoned with no parental care or portray some kind of risk behaviour.”
Related Article: Roosevelt Park alleged ‘human trafficking ring’ discovered
