Trafficking claims scrutinised
2009-06-23 15:42
Cape Town - A small but growing number of researchers are questioning the "alarmism" and dubious statistics surrounding human trafficking in South Africa, according to a newly-released report.
The report, by Johannesburg-based NGO the Consortium for Refugees and Migrants in SA (Cormsa), said the image most commonly associated with trafficking was of young women lured by crime syndicates into prostitution in other countries.
Current debate in South Africa on trafficking was based mainly on two pieces of research: one done by Cape Town-based NGO Molo Songololo in 2000, and another by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) in 2003.
The IOM report had identified South Africa as a source, transit point and destination for sex trafficking.
Raise awareness
"However, the intention of these reports was not to provide a clear understanding of the scale or nature of the problem, but to raise awareness about the need for a law enforcement and policy intervention," the Cormsa report said.
"As such, the numbers of trafficking victims quoted by these reports were not based on rigorous, quantitative research, but rather on estimates that were likely inflated.
"While successful in capturing public attention and generating moral outrage, such overestimations do not provide a sound basis for policy making and resource allocation."
The report said the NGO Case carried out a government-commissioned survey on trafficking in the Western Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga and Limpopo in 2003.
CASE found that while many organisations and government departments in the provinces were concerned about child trafficking and prostitution, few had encountered cases of this form of abuse.
"The contradiction between the claims by the Molo Songololo and IOM reports that the trafficking of women and children is a serious and growing problem in South Africa, and the absence of large numbers of cases, clearly suggests that the problem may not be as severe as self-interested parties have claimed it to be." the report said.
"Indeed, despite the IOM's multi-million dollar financial investment in efforts to identify people in need of assistance, between January 2004 and May 2007, the organisation had assisted just 194 victims of trafficking [in Southern Africa]."
Not one victim uncovered
The claim that this was only the tip of an iceberg was dubious, given the massive public awareness campaign conducted around trafficking between 2004 and 2007, which included a toll-free line.
Two years of intensive research among sex workers in Cape Town had failed to uncover a single victim of trafficking.
The report said the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) had been commissioned by the National Prosecuting Authority to conduct research to determine the nature and extent of trafficking in South Africa.
The fieldwork for this was scheduled to start this month.
"Cormsa hopes that the HSRC research will clarify the scope of human trafficking in South Africa in order to ensure that the country's resources to address abuses against non-nationals are used to optimal effect," the report said.
- SAPA