Human Trafficking SLK 320 Group Assignment

T a bl e of c o nt e n t s
1. 2. 3. Understanding of trafficking in persons ............................ 1 Understanding of why it occurs ....................................... 2 Qualitative research to determine the impact of human trafficking .................................................................... 4

4. Holistic understanding of the impact of human trafficking on multiple levels .............................................................. 5

5.Community psychologist intervention .................................. 12 5.1. Implementation of programmes to assist with the effects of human trafficking ............................................. 12 5.2. Addressing communities concerns with regards to human trafficking .......................................................... 13 5.3. Plausible solutions to prevent this event from happening in the community ................................................. 13 7. Bibliography .................................................................. 16

1 . U n d e r s t a ndi n g of t r a f f i c k i ng i n p e r s o ns

Human trafficking is a serious crime and a violation of human rights. It occurs in women, children and men. People are trafficked all over the world and are moved in and out of countries for various reasons (UNDOC, 2014).

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Human trafficking has three elements. Firstly, the act. This first element refers to what is done. This can be done in a number of ways for example, recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of persons (UNDOC, 2014). Secondly, the means. This second element refers to how it's done. Traffickers use threat, force, coercion, abduction, fraud, deception, payment, abuse of power or benefit (UNDOC, 2014). Thirdly, the purpose. This third and f inal element refers to why it occurs. This will be addressed in the next question, but we will briefly explain this element here. Some reasons include prostitution, sexual exploitation, forced labour, slavery or removal of organs (UNDOC, 2014). One of the most important elements of trafficking in persons is that consent is not given. Another important element is that, according to the trafficking in person's protocol, consent is disregarded if force and coercion is used. In other words, the means that the traffickers use to control their victims makes the victims consent unusable. Thus in the court of law, such consent does not clear or pardon the traffickers behaviour or actions (UN.GIFT.HUB, 2014). W ith regards to consent and children, any individual is under the age of 18 is considered a child cannot consent to anything by law. Whether force or coercion is used it is still regarded as trafficking in persons (UN.GIFT.HUB, 2014).

2 . U n d e r s t a ndi n g of w h y i t o c c ur s

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Human traffickers prey on people who are in lower economic class, with promises of higher incomes to improve their economic situations, support parents and families in villages, and in some cases, escape from war and conflict. The target groups include people from impoverished and low income households, ethnic minorities, indigenous people, illegal migrants, people with low levels of education and young girls running away from home (Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, 2014). There are multiple levels of the reasons why it occurs, the main reasons being social, cultural and economic factors. There has been an increase in the demand for foreign workers, as well as women in the informal sector. The reason for this is because women are more easily subjected to poor working conditions for extremely low wages (UNESCO, 2007). Sex and entertainment industries are also growing at a rapid rate, and women and children are at high risk of being exploited in such industries. This is on the increase because of its high demand and high profit, at low risk due to mostly failures when it comes to prosecution. Often, victims are not legally protected (UNESCO, 2007). W omen, children and men are trafficked for various reasons, in accordance to their sexual characteristics. For example, women are easier to control and are more vulnerable. Below we will mention some of reasons for women, children and men being trafficked: W omen are lured for false promises of employment and sexual exploitation. violently They are and raped, black drugged, mailed, imprisoned, their beaten, passports treated, have

confiscated and have debt imposed on them (UNESCO, 2007).

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Children are the majority of persons trafficked. They are used for begging, child porn, favourable labourers and in some cases enslaved in war zones (UNESCO, 2007). Men or boys are trafficked for forced labour, forced begging, sexual exploitation and child soldiers. Men and boys are trafficked less than women. Here it is important to note that all antitrafficking 2007). legislations focus more on women and children, showing their lack of knowledge of those at true risk. (UNESCO,

3 . Q ua l i t a t i v e

research

to

de t e r m i ne

t he

i m pa c t

of

h u m a n t r a f f i c k i ng

W e created a list of 11 questions to use in a structured interview, to gather as much information on the impacts of human trafficking in the community. Each group member asked a different race of different ages and genders to grasp a full understanding. The use of a structured interview was beneficial to us because it enabled us to address all relevant and important information, as well as due to its face-to-face nature, questions were open ended and we could probe more information where necessary. Below is the structured interview we used: 1. How does human trafficking create fear amongst your

community? 2. Does human trafficking impact on your day to day life? 3. W hat do you feel can contribute to an individual becoming a victim?

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4. Is your community or surrounding community at higher risk to human trafficking, if so how does this affect your feelings of safety and security? 5. Which racial groups/gender/age are more prone to the effects of human trafficking? 6. Have you experienced or are you aware of anyone that has been affected or been a victim of human trafficking? 7. Are you aware of how big a problem human trafficking is in our country? 8. Do you as an individual have the confidence in the South African Police Service to protect you in any human trafficking situation? 9. Should leaders in school systems, government or in the home create awareness and provide precautionary measures to combat human trafficking? 10. Do you feel that you or people that are close to you (family members, close friends) are targets of human trafficking? 11. W hat lifestyle changes have you made to protect you and your family from human trafficking if any?

4.

H ol i s t i c

un d e r s t a n di n g

of

t he

impact

of

human

t r a f f i c k i n g o n m ul t i pl e l e ve l s

Below

are

the

summaries

of

the

findings

of

each

race's

perspective of the impact of human trafficking on the community. White:Sean Dickson 10686232 W ith the various age groups that I interviewed, the evidence shows that the younger population are more fearful and more aware of human The trafficking older in our country more and within in their their community. population feel secure

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enclosed communities as they very rarely leave their comfort of their homes. However, both the older and younger age groups show a lack of confidence in the SAPS which is a huge contributor to the fear they experience in their community. The impact of human trafficking on their day to day lives makes, the participants, more aware of their surroundings and the importance of safety thereof. ages 6 and 26 All the interviewees felt that human trafficking in underdeveloped towns surrounding their is aimed more towards the younger female population between communities. The interviewees have never experienced or know of anyone that has experienced human trafficking and show little awareness of this matter in their communities. This just tells me that there are little or no intervention programmes illustrating the importance of safety towards human trafficking in our country. The evidence reveals that there should be more education about this topic in schools and in homes to fight this horrific problem we face in our country. The female participants are not as worried about human their friends and which family members, the however over the male participant feels that his female friends and family are targets of trafficking indicates male protective instincts towards family and friends. The lifestyle changes vary across interviewees, such as more security measures at home, no strolling around at night and avoiding bad areas to drive around.

Black: Ryan Cartwright, 11001969 The information gathered was taken from that of a black people. All interviewees expressed how there is a fear amongst the people and that the lack of trust amongst the community causes individuals to not act towards each other in a peaceful way. All individuals are unaware about human trafficking as they have not

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been exposed to anyone that has been affected. Socialising with the wrong people and being involved in shady or illegal practices such as drugs is a way in which people can be lured into the world of human trafficking. Being gullible to certain offers while in an intoxicated state can heavily effect the way in which individuals process information and act. All people interviewed reside in middle to upper class income communities where there is good protection from human traffickers. However, one interviewee, who resides in Hatfield (an area which is at high risk) believes that she is safe. This shows how our community underestimates the extent to which human trafficking is present. All people exclaimed that young black females were at highest risk of being victims.None were aware of anyone who has been directly or indirectly affected by human trafficking and this shows why there seems to be no real issue when it comes to the problem which is actually knowledge quite was large. gained Two interviewees watching expressed movies or their seeing understanding of how big a problem human trafficking is and this through documentaries that gave insight on human trafficking. The rest weren't aware of the magnitude of the problem due to the fact that it is not often spoken about or shown in the news to make people aware. W hen it came to the police offering support and protection, everyone lacked confidence in them in general and were quite agitated by their ignorance. One of the interviewees have not been exposed to any awareness campaigns around university but they all believe that children, from a young age, should be exposed to early intervention programs to protect people from it. Community leaders need to be more involved. All were unsure of whether they are targets of human trafficking except one. He believed that they were not in the category of targeted persons. This black male is 46 years of age. All believe that good judgement and sufficient use of common sense and staying away

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from areas which are inclined to engage individuals in practices which can bring about human trafficking are ways to protect yourself and your family from the negative effects of human trafficking. Chinese:Roxanne Zanato, 12096441 Firstly we asked how human trafficking creates fear amongst the participants community and all my participants mentioned that being parents creates fear in the community as children are mostly the target of human trafficking. We then asked how human trafficking impacts on their day to day life, all mentioned that it is a worry yet they are not paranoid about it to the point where it affects their normal functioning. The third question we asked our participants was what contributes to an individual becoming a victim of human trafficking. My participants mentioned individuals who are not streetwise, being careless and lack of knowledge of human trafficking. The next question asked whether the community or surrounding community of the participant was at more risk of human trafficking. All my participants mentioned that they felt that their area was a low risk due to security that has been put in place. We asked the participants who they thought according to

gender/race/age were more prone to becoming victims of human trafficking. All mentioned that young Africangirls are more at risk. W hen asked if they have experienced or know anyone who has been affected or been a victim of human trafficking, one of the participant’s daughters was offered a fake modelling contract. The other two participants had not directly or know anyone who had been affected by human trafficking.

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The next question asked if the participants were aware of how big a problem human trafficking was in their country, they all said they know it occurs but all did not know the extent of it in their country and all mentioned that they think they underestimate the problem. All the participants said they have no confidence in the SAPS when asked if they feel the SAPS would protect them in a situation related to human trafficking. When asked about whether awareness programs must be out in place by schools, the government and in the home, all my participants strongly recommend that moreawareness should be

created as the more educated, the easier to combat. W e then asked whether the participants felt that they themselves or members of their family were targets all felt as if their children were more at risk. Lastly we asked what lifestyle changes the participants had made to protect themselves and their family against human trafficking all mentioned increasing the safety in their homes as well as constantly watching their children and being more aware of the happenings around them. Indian: Monique Scheepers, 12070425. Muslims and Hindu's have very strong opinions about the safety and security of their children, and more specifically, their daughters. The young girls in Indian families must be protected from any harm or rebellious behaviour, so that they can be married as virgins. W hen asking the older Indian women about human trafficking and how it impacts them, it was made clear that their daughters would bring shame on the family if something were to happen to them, even if not in their control. For this reason,

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girls are treated like, according to one source, "delicate little dolls" that do not have much freedom at all. Something like human trafficking is a huge threat to the families name and reputation. This is in terms of the girl's chance of being married, as well as the reputation of the family for not protecting their children. Boys in Indian families do not have nearly as much supervision and protection as the girls. W hen I asked the elders about their knowledge of human trafficking, their perception of gender bias was made evident. They believed only girls are trafficked for sexual exploitation, and boys were at no risk. The younger generation I asked was a lot more aware of human trafficking and its danger to both boys and girls. However they also openly admitted that girls were more protected within their families from any danger. When asked how it impacts their day to day life, all generations of interviewees gave interesting input. The older generations both said that their children have strict morals and boundaries to abide by. They are of the view that if their children are not in places of risk, that no such harm will be done. They do this by setting strict rules of expected behaviour, as well as punishment for not abiding by such rules. All in the name of their safety. The younger generation admitted that as being the more independent male student, he knows him and his friends are at greater risk. This is due to his lifestyle of going out at night and during the day, not being confided to the safety of boundaries provided by his parents. Due to his Muslim religion, he does not drink, and he feels that if all of the younger generations did not lose control and drink, that the chances of abduction and trafficking would be lower due to being more aware when not intoxicated. Lifestyle changes he would make would be things such as, not going to at

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risk places, like clubs, and also being more aware of human trafficking in all its forms. This led me to the next question. All generations, especially the younger generation, felt that it is vital that leaders in schools, government or other public officials make human trafficking more known by educating citizens on the facts of it as well as what precautionary measures to take to protect yourself and your family. All of the interviewees also expressed their concern with regards to their lack of faith in the South African Police Service and government in protecting them and their loves ones from the potential danger of, or the occurrence of human trafficking. This impacts their sense of

safety and security in a large way, as they feel if anything like human trafficking were to occur, they would not know who to turn to for help. Holistic view: In conclusion, it can be seen that all people of the community with different race, gender and age, are unaware of the extent of human trafficking, but are still directly or indirectly impacted by it. One of the biggest concerns of all the racial groups is their lack awareness due to lack of education and exposure of it from various media in the community. Another major concern was the protection involvement of of the the participants SAPS in family and friends and and the this protection preventative

measures. It was clear that the younger generations are also a lot more affected than the older generations by human trafficking, this could be due to the fact that they are more at risk. On a final note, it became very clear that the community needs to raise awareness of human trafficking, to educate its members on the ins and outs as well as preventative measure of human trafficking.

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5 . C om m u ni t y p s yc h o l o gi s t i n t e r v e nt i o n
5.1. Us as Implementation community of programmes along to with assist other with the

effects of human trafficking psychologists, community officials, could provide shelters that need to be made readily available for the victims' of human trafficking. Victims need to contact a social worker immediately to be referred to a counsellor for debriefing and supportive measures that need to be taken. Victims, will be highly traumatised and need support to regain normal functioning in their community. Shelters should be built with all the relevant professionals, such as social workers, counsellors, doctors, police and other law enforcement. Victims can go to such shelters to help them cope with the effects left on them due to the trafficking. Us as community psychologists need to promote emotional well-being, self-esteem, ability to set personal goals as well as help victims form healthy relationships in the community once again. Victim and family support groups can also be created. This will allow the victims to share their experiences with their families and other victims in a safe environment, with us as community counsellors present. This allows the victims to know that they are not alone in their suffering as well as equip the families to deal with the effects left on the victim and family as a whole. Such support group programmes can include ways of integrating the victim back into the community, as well as techniques that can be used to control anxiety, feelings of depression and other coping strategies. The funding of the above mentioned programmes could be sought from the community to provide the relevant treatment and therapy

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to those who do not have the financial means to fund their treatment. 5.2. Addressing communities concerns with regards to

human trafficking Some of the communities concerns included constantly having to be overly cautious and increasing safety measures in all activities in the community. W e would address these concerns by educating the community by use of awareness campaigns about the causes, effects and prevention of human trafficking. The only way to combat these concerns is for the community to be aware and educated of the problem. Such campaigns could include marches against human trafficking, advertising on various media and school seminars. From the interviews conducted it became clear that a lot of concern stemmed from the SAPS in protecting them and their families from human trafficking. Us raising awareness would put more pressure on SAPS and their involvement in, and responsibility to, the community in combating human trafficking. The community is also concerned that if they or their family members were to be trafficked there is no programme available to help the victims, and if they are available they are not known. W e would combat this issue by making the above mentioned programme and shelter well-known to the community. This will give them peace of mind that they have some where to turn if needed, giving them more faith in their community. 5.3. Plausible solutions to prevent this event from

happening in the community • We could teach people about the red flags that may indicate human trafficking and identify potential victims (U.S. Department of state, 2014).

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•

We could create Human trafficking awareness training to be put in place for the entire community, including law enforcement officials (U.S. Department of state, 2014).

•

Community

psychologists

could

create

a

hotline

for

the

community to report any possible human trafficking activity (U.S. Department of state, 2014). • We can raise the awareness company and on in businesses, the steps to human by be seminars, taken in in their

educating

investigating

eliminating

trafficking

supply chains (U.S. Department of state, 2014). • Community psychologists can organise a fundraiser and

donate the proceeds to anti-trafficking organisations (U.S. Department of state, 2014). • We could, together with other legal authorities, petition for a legal department that deals solely with human trafficking prevention (U.S. Department of state, 2014).

6.

Th e or e t i c a l

k n ow l e d ge

to

d e s c r i be

our

u n d e r s t a ndi n g o f h um a n t r a f f i c k i n g
Theoretical knowledge and based on systems W ith theory, regards of social to the

constructionism opened our

African to the

cosmology. greater

theoretical knowledge that we have gained in this course, it has minds understanding human trafficking. Systems theory can help us understand how people in various subsystems and interrelated systems are of greater risk of being a victims of human trafficking. Certain systems are prone to being targets of human trafficking. Trafficking affects a system by means of the way we think (about people) in a social situation by the way we act and how our actions make individuals more vulnerable to becoming victims. Human trafficking creates selfregulation by means that forces us as individuals to constantly

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keep ourselves safe and protected from an environment that is ever changing, and at times incredibly dangerous. Thus making the potentially dangerous environments more aware of the negative effects of human trafficking. A system is autonomous, meaning that human trafficking creates a certain understanding within a system, indicates that if a community is more prone to crime and poverty then that system should have the need to react to such events. The the coping action from human mechanism that that trafficking causes a specific community necessary reaction from an independent community, which in turn provides requires. Therefore more common sense and good judgement in such communities is expected. W ith regards to African Cosmology, the ways of traditional

personhood helps us to understand why human trafficking could occur more within rural areas. One should not think that human trafficking only occurs in rural areas but due to the lack of knowledge and infrastructure to deal with these negative aspects of the problem, rural areas are seen as more vulnerable to outsiders (human traffickers) which are seen as easier targets for things like drug trafficking and the sex trade. A person in the transitional phase of personhood could be at higher risk of becoming a victim as their lack of knowledge coming out of a much more traditional area could increase their vulnerability to human trafficking. For example, a person looking for work in a more urban area could be exposed to unfamiliar situations or occurrences and would not be equipped with the necessary tools (awareness) in which to deal with these new and overwhelming experiences. westernised understanding An of individual will human who be has more been and brought to how up have to in a an culture inclined know

trafficking

avoid

possible situations, if one had to occur. For example, a child from

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a rural area would not receive the same level of education as a child would from a westernised/urban area. These people in the more urban areas are more frequently exposed to the negative effects their of human trafficking levels and therefore, the these people of will become more “street-wise” and somewhat, more cautious, raising awareness about possibilities these occurrences. Social constructionism can be viewed as the way in which

different groups of people have been brought up to view the world. Each person, at some stage in their lives, will experience what is called a paradigm shift. This shift could be caused by any sort of struggle or opposition and the and in it therefore which we forces adjust us can to adjust accordingly, way negatively

(victims) or positively affect our lives. Independent people, who have been brought up in a way that promotes self-exploration could find themselves in particularly vulnerable situations where learning for themselves is empirical to their survival. This learning experience generally happens at an earlier age as these people are more likely to be exposed to things like human trafficking. The dependent person, on the other hand, lives in what we see as a bubble, keeping them safe and secure at all times and not being exposed to the harsh realities of the real world. This can in turn make these people more prone to being victims as their knowledge is often very limited due to the lack of experience.

7 . Bi bl i o gr a p hy

1. Sisters of Notre Dame De Namur. 2010. Actions for justice. www.ssndohio.org. Online. [Cited 1 October 2014]. 2. UNESCO. 2007. Human trafficking in S.A, Root causes and recommendations. Pg 32. Online. [Cited 1 October 2014]. 16 R o x a n n e Z a n a t o 1 2 0 9 6 4 4 1 Monique Scheepers 12070425 Sean Dickson 10686232 Ryan Cartwright 11001969

3. UN.GIFT.HUB.

2014.

What

is

human

trafficking.www.ungift.org. Online. [Cited 1 October 2014]. 4. UNODC. 2014. Human trafficking. www.unodc.org. Online. [Cited 1 October 2014]. 5. U.S. Department of State. 2014. 20 W ays you can help fight human trafficking. www.state.gov. Online. [Cited 14 October 2014]. 6. Visser. M and Molko. A 2012. “ Community Psychology in South Africa”. Van Schalk Publishers, South Africa. Pg. 2440. 7. Visser. M and Molko. A 2012. “ Community Psychology in South Africa”. Van Schalk Publishers, South Africa. Pg.4154. 8. Visser. M and Molko. A 2012. “ Community Psychology in South Africa”. Van Schalk Publishers, South Africa. Pg. 7182.

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