South Africa: United Against Trafficking

                            Modern day slavery, which is commonly termed human trafficking, is a crime that has
existed for many years, becoming more prominent in recent decades as it manifests
across the globe. Although prevalent historically, its apparent re-emergence in
modern-day has seen governments and non-governmental bodies studying the crime,
framing the problem, and slowly adopting measures to mitigate and to reduce it.
Despite progress in the formulation of policy and legislation to combat human
trafficking, these measures have been varied in their effectiveness. The many
weaknesses in enforcement are often attributed to poor planning and coordination
among state and non-state actors. The lack of coordination has resulted in a weakened
response and subpar enforcement of policy. However, Chapter 4 discusses the existing
literature which identifies numerous avenues through which collaboration has
enhanced enforcement to curb the crime.
Since the South African Government has criminalised human trafficking under its
Prevention and Combatting of Trafficking in Persons (PACOTIP) Act 7 of 2013, it has
demonstrated the intention to take a human rights, victim-centred approach, which
ensures that the victim’s protection is at the heart of the strategy.
Nonetheless, enforcement of the legislation has been subject to various shortcomings,
which often stem from a lack of central leadership and collaboration. Working
alongside the state’s response (and often under the radar), is a vital network of Non-
Government Organisations (NGOs) who have demonstrated a willingness to work
under the PACOTIP framework to mitigate human trafficking.
However, in South Africa these NGOs have been have not yet been studied closely,
notwithstanding their major contribution to counter-trafficking efforts.