Thesis (M.A. (Social Development))--University of the Witwatersrand, Faculty of Humanities, School of Human and Community Development, 2017. / Human trafficking has been called modern day slavery, and is affecting numerous countries worldwide. According to the International Labour Organization (ILO) (2012), there are approximately more than 20 million people classified as victims of human trafficking. Thus, it is evident to see that this is a global social problem that needs a collective inter-sectoral response involving social workers as well. This research aimed to investigate social service provision to adult victims of human trafficking. The research approach of the study was qualitative. The research design applied was a case study. Non probability purposive sampling was used to select eight participants for the study. Data was collected using one-on-one in depth interviews. All interviews were transcribed verbatim, and analysed using thematic analysis. The study found that social workers, employed at shelters that provide services to adult human trafficking victims, have a good understanding of what human trafficking entails. The services at the shelter addresses basic needs like safe accommodation, food and clothing, and also access to health services. Court support to the victims of human trafficking, and skills development to empower victims with a skill to facilitate economic empowerment, are also provided. The social worker further provides therapeutic support to victims, as well as facilitates reintegration back into society. The research identified the following challenges: security concerns for the victim as well as the shelter, complicated trauma symptoms presented by the rescued human trafficking victim and lastly the lengthy court case subsequently impacting on service delivery. Social development at its core refers to the well-being of the most vulnerable in our communities, by addressing both social and economic development (Midgley, 1995). The research study attempted to understand how social workers, as part of the social service professions, assist vulnerable adult victims of trafficking in their journey to restoration and healing. / XL2018

Researchers have described human trafficking as a complex, multi-layered crime. South Africa, including the Eastern Cape Province, is a source, transit, and destination country for trafficked people. However, a dearth of research on human trafficking exists in the province. Furthermore, traditional, modernist research using reductionist methods to investigate complex phenomena has proven unable to capture the complex interrelationships between the myriad of interrelated elements inherent in complex phenomena. In this qualitative study, I explore and describe the human trafficking system in the Eastern Cape via participants’ perspectives through a complex systems approach that consists of two complementary theories, namely Bronfenbrenner’s bioecological theory of human development and complexity theory. The participants, who were knowledgeable about human trafficking in the province, were obtained through purposive and snowball sampling. Data collection took place through open-ended interviews with individual participants. I analysed the data according to Miles and Huberman’s data analysis process and Braun and Clarke’s thematic data analysis process. The findings demonstrate that the complex systems approach successfully facilitated the mapping and conceptualisation of an in-depth, multi-level picture of the complex interrelationships within and between multiple system components in the human trafficking system and its environment in relation to the Eastern Cape Province. Participants’ perspectives revealed two main themes, namely, the prominence of the nonlinear interactions between traffickers and trafficked persons in the holistic human trafficking system and the major obstacle regarding the lack of witness credibility for human trafficking prosecutions to be successful. Utilising complex systems theory to conduct further human trafficking research could assist counter-trafficking stakeholders with an alternative approach to generating effective planning and executing counter human trafficking strategies in a rapidly changing and increasing complex interconnected world.

A dissertation presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Masters of Arts Degree in Political Studies, Faculty of the Humanities at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2016 / The contemporary movement to end human trafficking rose to prominence in the early to mid 1990s. Following the fall of the Soviet Union, the US found itself in need of new tools to extend its global reach. This report argues that the modern day movement to abolish human trafficking is one of the new tools used to advance US hegemony. South Africa provides a unique context for the study of how US hegemony has been employed through this movement. The rise of this movement coincided with the rise of democracy in the rainbow nation. Under Apartheid, US policy toward South Africa was linked with the fight against communism. The US would channel money to black liberation movements in order to shape their views in a pro-western direction. South Africa was considered important to US economic interests and prosperity. With the communist enemy gone, the US has employed new tools to influence ideology, policy and legislation. Through studying the Anti-Trafficking in Persons (TIP) movement in the South African context, this report analyzes how the movement is a tool of hegemony. Tactics used to gain public consent and legitimize the cause are uncovered, as are coercive measures used to stronghold the South African government to comply with the US. / MT2017

Human trafficking has been reported to be on the increase in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa with girls as young as ten years old being trafficked from and within the Province for sexual and labour purposes, and marriage. Human traffickers operate in rural areas, small towns and cities such as Port Elizabeth and East London. However, research on the role of the law enforcement authorities and the civil society organisations in the fight against trafficking in Eastern Cape Province is largely unknown. Situated within the Security Governance Theory, and using the intensive research design, this research reports on the role of the law enforcement authorities and the civil society organisations in the fight against human trafficking in Eastern Cape Province with emphasis on rural-urban differentiation. The challenges which law enforcement authorities and the civil society organisations faced are also discussed. The study, among other things, found that both the law enforcement sector and civil society organisations in the Province ensured that security, criminal justice, physical, emotional, psychological, health and spiritual needs of rescued victims of trafficking were met. The study further established that there was little progress in the fight against human trafficking, more especially in the rural areas of the Province, due to inadequate cooperation among anti-trafficking organisations and the lack of resources.

Human trafficking is a social problem that has left no state or country immune to its effects. Literature indicates that human trafficking causes economic social and physical disruptions. Families are left broken and communities divided and children left homeless. Its victims are mostly women and children who come from low socio-economic status. Studies have been conducted on the roles of Non-Governmental Organisation`s across the globe but reports on the roles of NGOs in the Eastern Cape are unknown. This study reports on the roles of Non-Governmental Organisation`s (caregivers) in the Eastern Cape. This investigation is an exploratory qualitative study. A purposeful sampling strategy was used to recruit the Non-governmental organization (caregivers). In depth open ended interviews were conducted. The theories of Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) and socio-ecological theory were used to discuss the findings of the study. The findings of the study were categorized into four main themes including; knowledge of human trafficking, causes of human trafficking, roles of non-governmental organization (caregivers) in the Eastern Cape and strategies available in the Eastern Cape Province. The findings showed that human trafficking is present in the Eastern Cape. Abused and neglected children are more likely to become potential victims of human trafficking. The caregivers play a huge vital role in the fight against human trafficking. Lastly, the strategies implemented are not as effective as they would have been if adequate legislation was passed against human trafficking.

The impact of adolescent human trafficking for sexual exploitation is of such a nature that it interferes with the attainment of adolescent developmental tasks that would lead to the ability to become independent adults. This interference offers specific challenges to service providers. The goal of this study was therefore to develop an in-depth understanding of service providers’ perceptions of the experiences of adolescents trafficked for sexual exploitation with a view to inform social work services. The research methodology entailed the use of the contextual, explorative and descriptive research designs within a qualitative approach. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect data. Data analysis led to the identification of themes, sub-themes and categories that addressed the goal of the study. A literature control was conducted to verify the data and to draw conclusions and make recommendations for social work service delivery. / Social Work / M. A. (Social Science)

This research is aimed at evaluating the adequacy and effectiveness of the legal framework dealing with human trafficking in South Africa. To achieve this purpose, a comprehensive diachronic as well as contemporary overview of the punishment and prevention of human trafficking in South Africa as well as in the legal systems of the US, Germany and Nigeria is provided. An overview of the history of slavery and an analysis of the modern conceptualisation of human trafficking indicate that human trafficking is a highly complex concept, and that there are various approaches to the understanding of the concept of human trafficking. There are various definitions of trafficking found in international instruments of which the most important has been identified as that contained in the Palermo Protocol. The definitions vary also because trafficking is closely related to the phenomena of migration, slavery and smuggling of humans. The study further identifies some significant root causes of trafficking generally, as well as specific, to the four selected regions. It was found that in South Africa – similar to the history of slavery in the jurisdictions of the US, Germany and Nigeria – colonisation and the institution of slavery and, more particularly in South Africa, the legacy of the apartheid regime has had an impact on modern human trafficking. The research concedes that although common-law crimes, statutes and transitional legislation can be utilized to challenge some trafficking elements, these offences are not comprehensive enough to amply deal with the crime’s complexities and provide only a fragmented approach to combating the crime. The study shows that South Africa needs to adopt specific and comprehensive anti-trafficking legislation that is based essentially on the provisions of the Palermo Protocol, that is, the draft TIP Bill. Although the Bill is a major improvement on the provisions in the Palermo Protocol as well as on certain aspects of the anti-trafficking legislation in the US, Germany and Nigeria, the Bill can still be improved, especially with regard to more effective victim assistance and the combating of local-specific vulnerability factors. Anti-trafficking efforts undertaken in the US, Germany and Nigeria which may be of value also for the adoption of anti-trafficking legislation, law enforcement and other strategies in South Africa, are further identified. iv The research further establishes also that international, regional and sub-regional instruments on trafficking and related aspects of trafficking provide guidelines for developing effective strategies to deal with trafficking within the region. The counter-trafficking strategies as found in treaties (including conventions), protocols, declarations and resolutions – those focussing specifically on combating trafficking and those with a human-rights focus – oblige states to prosecute traffickers, protect people vulnerable to trafficking as well as those already trafficked and create structures for prevention. Regional instruments specifically formulated to combat trafficking as well as instruments that make reference to the issue of trafficking in persons may further provide the basis for long-term strategies to combat human trafficking. However, it was found that although South Africa has adopted many cooperative mechanisms in the form of direct bilateral or multilateral agreements, as well as international and regional treaties and conventions, the jurisdiction has not as yet implemented comprehensive strategies to combat human trafficking. The introduction of legislation to combat human trafficking, and various other strategies envisaged in the TIP Bill and also recommendations suggested in this thesis, should be considered by parliament as a matter of priority. A comprehensive response to human trafficking which includes adequate protection of victims is required in terms of various constitutional imperatives identified in this research. / Criminal & Procedural Law / LL.D.

The impact of adolescent human trafficking for sexual exploitation is of such a nature that it interferes with the attainment of adolescent developmental tasks that would lead to the ability to become independent adults. This interference offers specific challenges to service providers. The goal of this study was therefore to develop an in-depth understanding of service providers’ perceptions of the experiences of adolescents trafficked for sexual exploitation with a view to inform social work services. The research methodology entailed the use of the contextual, explorative and descriptive research designs within a qualitative approach. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect data. Data analysis led to the identification of themes, sub-themes and categories that addressed the goal of the study. A literature control was conducted to verify the data and to draw conclusions and make recommendations for social work service delivery. / Social Work / M.A. (Social Science)

This research is aimed at evaluating the adequacy and effectiveness of the legal framework dealing with human trafficking in South Africa. To achieve this purpose, a comprehensive diachronic as well as contemporary overview of the punishment and prevention of human trafficking in South Africa as well as in the legal systems of the US, Germany and Nigeria is provided. An overview of the history of slavery and an analysis of the modern conceptualisation of human trafficking indicate that human trafficking is a highly complex concept, and that there are various approaches to the understanding of the concept of human trafficking. There are various definitions of trafficking found in international instruments of which the most important has been identified as that contained in the Palermo Protocol. The definitions vary also because trafficking is closely related to the phenomena of migration, slavery and smuggling of humans. The study further identifies some significant root causes of trafficking generally, as well as specific, to the four selected regions. It was found that in South Africa – similar to the history of slavery in the jurisdictions of the US, Germany and Nigeria – colonisation and the institution of slavery and, more particularly in South Africa, the legacy of the apartheid regime has had an impact on modern human trafficking. The research concedes that although common-law crimes, statutes and transitional legislation can be utilized to challenge some trafficking elements, these offences are not comprehensive enough to amply deal with the crime’s complexities and provide only a fragmented approach to combating the crime. The study shows that South Africa needs to adopt specific and comprehensive anti-trafficking legislation that is based essentially on the provisions of the Palermo Protocol, that is, the draft TIP Bill. Although the Bill is a major improvement on the provisions in the Palermo Protocol as well as on certain aspects of the anti-trafficking legislation in the US, Germany and Nigeria, the Bill can still be improved, especially with regard to more effective victim assistance and the combating of local-specific vulnerability factors. Anti-trafficking efforts undertaken in the US, Germany and Nigeria which may be of value also for the adoption of anti-trafficking legislation, law enforcement and other strategies in South Africa, are further identified. iv The research further establishes also that international, regional and sub-regional instruments on trafficking and related aspects of trafficking provide guidelines for developing effective strategies to deal with trafficking within the region. The counter-trafficking strategies as found in treaties (including conventions), protocols, declarations and resolutions – those focussing specifically on combating trafficking and those with a human-rights focus – oblige states to prosecute traffickers, protect people vulnerable to trafficking as well as those already trafficked and create structures for prevention. Regional instruments specifically formulated to combat trafficking as well as instruments that make reference to the issue of trafficking in persons may further provide the basis for long-term strategies to combat human trafficking. However, it was found that although South Africa has adopted many cooperative mechanisms in the form of direct bilateral or multilateral agreements, as well as international and regional treaties and conventions, the jurisdiction has not as yet implemented comprehensive strategies to combat human trafficking. The introduction of legislation to combat human trafficking, and various other strategies envisaged in the TIP Bill and also recommendations suggested in this thesis, should be considered by parliament as a matter of priority. A comprehensive response to human trafficking which includes adequate protection of victims is required in terms of various constitutional imperatives identified in this research. / Criminal and Procedural Law / LL. D.

The aim of conducting this research was to obtain a critical understanding of how the South African Police Service (SAPS), law enforcement (LE) and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) understand the concept, policing of Trafficking in Persons (TIP). The study indicates different role players in the policing of TIP. The researcher explored the present and possible future cooperation between SAPS and NGOs in the Cape Town area. The development of policing and legal aspects concerning TIP was explored globally. Research indicates the necessity of a professional partnership approach between SAPS, LE and NGOs, in the policing of TIP. The researcher identified factors that inhibit the effectiveness of policing of TIP. These factors include among others the lack of training in the identification of TIP and lack of trust between role players. Recommendations to this effect and the implementation of the policing of TIP are made to all concerned, especially SAPS management. / Police Practice / M. Tech. (Policing)