Report from South Africa
January 9, 2016
1. On 9 August 2015, the Prevention and Combating of Trafficking in Persons Act was signed into law. Hopefully more cases of trafficking in persons will now be identified and prosecuted.
A number of cases are being investigated, but the process is slow.
2. In October 2015, Sr Gabriella Bottani, smc, the coordinator of Talitha Kum – International Network of Religious Life Against Human Trafficking (UISG) - visited South Africa in order to gain first-hand knowledge of the work being done by the religious congregations in the area of combating trafficking in persons.
3. A number of awareness workshops in schools were facilitated by the Mercy Sisters.
4. An awareness workshop was facilitated for young people preparing for Confirmation.
5. On 24 September 2015, a number of religious sisters and their friends took part in a mini “Freedom Climb”. The participants climbed a well-known hill in Johannesburg to raise awareness around human trafficking. Brochures giving information about human trafficking were handed out and a prayer circle was held at the summit. The climbers also made very generous donations to the Mercy shelter for survivors of trafficking in persons.
6. On 5-6 October 2015, the Sisters of Mercy attended a “Human Trafficking Summit” organised by the Department of Social Development. There were presentations by the National Prosecuting Authority, the police, the Department of Social Development, the organised crime unit, researchers from the University of South Africa and the shelter network which represented by the Sisters of Mercy.
7. During Men’s Day, 19 November 2015, the Sisters of Mercy participated in awareness raising at different men’s events.
8. From 12 – 15 April 2016, there will be a conference organised by the Human Trafficking Desk of the Leaders Conference of consecrated Life (South Africa) and the South African Catholic Bishops’ Conference. This will be for all the different stakeholders in the Church who are involved in combating human trafficking.. The Sisters of Mercy have been invited to give a presentation at this event.
9. During 2016, there are plans to raise awareness of human trafficking at a number of local schools.
The Mercy House Shelter cared for 12 survivors of human trafficking from September 2015 to January 2016.
11 of these women were from Thailand. All of these had been deceived by their traffickers who offered them non-existent employment.
One woman was South African. She had been drugged at a club and transported from Durban to a brothel in Pretoria.
Our work is very much at grassroots level.
- Colleen Wilkinson rsm
