PATTERNS OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING IN SOUTHERN AFRICA

1. INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATION FOR MIGRATION Presented by Karen Blackman PATTERNS OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING IN SOUTHERN AFRICA

2. SOTHERN AFRICAN COUNTER-TRAFFICKING ASSISTANCE PROGRAMME [SACTAP] Activities: Prevention of trafficking: • Field research and data collection; Eye on Human Trafficking quarterly news bulletin [eye@iom.int]. • Information dissemination; print, television, radio Protection of Trafficking Victims: • Training for Police and Immigration officials • Training for NGO and government service providers • Toll-Free National Trafficking Helpline in South Africa Assistance and Reintegration to trafficking Victims through: • NGO support network – shelters, medical, legal and psychosocial counseling • Relocation and/or AVR • Reintegration options for victims

3. What is the International Organization for Migration (IOM)? • Leading international organization working globally to manage migration challenges for the benefit of all. • Established 1951 to resettle European displaced persons, refugees and migrants, but has evolved with offices and operations in every continent. Currently 125 member states. • IOM helps governments and civil society in 7 service areas: • Assisted voluntary returns • Counter-trafficking • Migration health • Movements of migrants [refugees and others] • Mass information on migration • Technical co-operation on migration [border management] • Labour migration • IOM’s regional office for Southern Africa is situated in Pretoria

4. PATTERNS OF TiP IN SOUTHERN AFRICA Based on • 6-month research conducted by IOM in 2002-2003. • Additional interviews with victims of trafficking over the past 5 years

5. SOUTH AFRICA South Africa to Asia Recruitment • Recruiters usually SA national with links SA sex industry and Triad groups; earn US$ 500 per recruit. • SA women are recruited in strip clubs or as sex workers in Johannesburg. • Offered strip jobs or sex work in Macau, all expenses paid and US$ 10 000 – 20 000. Transportation • JHB – Hong Kong – Macau • SA Nationals enter HK on one-month permit, and must then apply to immigration office to continue on to Macau • Sold to organized crime bosses that operate saunas in Macau Exploitation • Confiscation of passport. • Sign contract in Chinese characters with no translation. • Imposition of escalating debt burden. • Drugs play a big role in controlling victims. • Confinement to flat; no telephone calls. • Experience physical abuse; death threats and threats of arrest. • Forcibly prostituted in saunas with long working hours – e.g. 16 clients per 12 hour shift. • Victims are numbered , colour-coded and ‘priced’ accordingly – e.g. Black [VIP] category = US$ 625 per client .

6. SOUTH AFRICASouth Africa To Israel Recruitment • SA national recruit older SA women as au pairs. • Offered jobs in Israel, paid US$ 800 per month. Accommodation and air fare included. Transportation • JHB – Tel Aviv [EI AI Airlines] • Enter Israel with the trafficker on a three month tourist visa. • Victims were unaware that they are unable to work on this visa or that it is illegal for foreign nationals to work as au pairs in Israel. Exploitation • Confiscation of passport. • Not allowed to leave the premises. • Long working hours. • Payment less than half that was promised, if any. • No sick leave. • Forced to do all household tasks as well as au pair. • Experience verbal abuse.

7. SOUTH AFRICASouth /Africa to Ireland, UK and US Recruitment • Young South African women recruited to work as domestic workers, professional employment or for education. • Many are students receiving post secondary education. • Recruited by West African and South African nationals - often friends of friends or boyfriends. • Also recruited by friends already in country of destination. • Cases in US – recruitment was advertised in newspapers or flyers. • Travel costs covered by traffickers. • Victims travel independently. Transportation • JHB – London direct • JHB – London – Dublin • JHB and CPT to various locations in US direct Exploitation • Confiscation of passport and travel documentation. • Forced to live in unsuitable conditions . • Movements controlled, • Forced to work long hours doing domestic chores and child care. • Experience verbal abuse from ‘employers’. • Told to repay debt for travel. • Not paid salary or salary much lower than promised. • May also experience sexual abuse or harassment from male employers.

8. REFUGEESTO SOUTH AFRICA Recruitment • Traffickers are unemployed men with refugee status in South Africa • Traffic women from home counties (e.g. Angola, DRC, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Somalia) • Victims are female relatives (aged 25-45), sometimes with children • Promised jobs in South Africa Transportation • Travel by boat, truck, car, bus, taxis • Woman sells everything to finance trip – families may contribute • Travel alone or accompanied by recruiter or refugee clan member • Borders crossed legally and illegally • Hazardous journey to South Africa Exploitation • Women apply for asylum in SA • Sexual initiation (recruiter or ethnic clan) • Street sex work • Long working hours and dangerous conditions • Minimum nightly earnings • Highly dependent of trafficker who will often physically abuse the victim if she doesn’t earn money • Small-scale • Ethnic clan networks: • Control women • Involved in criminal activity

9. MOZAMBIQUETO SOUTH AFRICA Recruitment • Traffickers involved in TRAFFICKING AND SMUGGLING of people, drugs and weapons • 2 methods of recruitment: • Active - (making false job offers) • Passive - (targeting female taxi passengers en route to SA) Transportation • Maputo – Komatipoort – JHB/PRET • Maputo – Ponta d’Ouro – JHB/DBN • By taxi along main routes to SA • Undocumented border crossings • Use of safe houses in border region between SA, Mozambique, Swaziland Exploitation • Sexual initiation at safe houses • In JHB women held captive in safe houses in Soweto and Lenasia • Taken to housing compounds on West Rand mines and sold to mineworkers • Sold as wives to SA and Mozambican men • Live under conditions of domestic servitude • Others are sold to brothels in Gauteng and KZN for R1000 – R15,000 • Now into upmarket brothels in residential areas • Similar trafficking modus operandi does occur between Zimbabwe and South Africa

10. THAILANDTO SOUTH AFRICA Recruitment • Cottage Industry traffickers • Small-time Thai traffickers • “Second-wave” traffickers • Brothel owners as traffickers • International Organised Crime • Chinese organised crime • Thai organised crime • Women recruited are 60%-80% aging sex workers aged 25-35 Transportation • Bangkok – Singapore – JHB • Bangkok – Hong Kong – JHB • Bangkok – JHB Exploitation • SOLD for between R15 000 – R50 000 or LEASED to brothels by agent • Debt bonded for R60 000 – R80 000 • Rotated between brothels and private venues by agents • Living conditions at safe houses are tightly controlled by mama san • Long working hours • Agents manipulate women’s legal status • Scale: at least 6 provinces [towns and cites]

11. CHINATO SOUTH AFRICA Recruitment • Traffickers are Chinese organized crime groups operating in SA • Women recruited are poorly educated and unemployed • Women are most often recruited in Southern China • Women recruited by Traffickers & Smugglers • 2 categories of Chinese women in SA • Smuggled migrants • Trafficked women • Women smuggled into SA are retroactively trafficked Transportation • Hong Kong- JHB • Hong Kong – JHB – Lesotho – JHB • Hong Kong – JHB – Swaziland – JHB • Hong Kong - JHB – Mozambique – JHB • Travel documents and air ticket paid for by agent Exploitation • Bonded for repayment of R75 000 to R100 000 travel debt • Private houses/flats or exclusively Asian or seamen’s clubs in Cape Town

12. EASTERN EUROPETO SOUTH AFRICA Recruitment • Traffickers are Russian mafia & Bulgarian organized crime groups • Traffickers own clubs in SA • Recruiters are often women connected to Eastern European organized crime in SA • Women recruited are often highly educated but poor/jobless, aged 25-35 • Promises of jobs as waitresses, dancers or hostesses Transportation • Russia/EE – EU – JHB • Russia/EE – EU- JHB – Moz – JHB • Russia/EE – EU – JHB – Lesotho – JHB • SA Visas fraudulently obtained in Russia. Exploitation • Debt-bonded on arrival for between US$ 12000 – US$ 15 000 • Women rotated between clubs & private venues. Mix with Thai women • Threat of physical violence • Family members in Russia/EE may be threatened and assaulted • Difficult to exit “system” run by traffickers – extremely difficult to escape

13. IOM’s HUMAN TRAFFICKING HELP LINE • REPORT A CASE • ASK FOR HELP • ASK FOR MORE INFORMATION 0800 555 999 (toll-free 7am -10pm)

14. FURTHER INFORMATION • www.iom.org.za • www.iom.int • Subscribe electronically to the EYE on Human Trafficking: eye@iom.int