Human Trafficking in Africa

The cries and shrieks of innocent African girls and women being sold as merchandise for exploitation is an extremely dreadful and horrifying thing to hear. Human Trafficking includes recruiting, transporting and harbouring or receiving a person through using force, coercion, abduction, fraud, abuse of power, or by giving and receiving payments and profits to gain the approval of a person to have control on another for the means of exploitation. Some methods of exploitation include sexual exploitation, forced labour, slavery and servitude (UNODC, 2012). Human trafficking is the third biggest and fastest growing criminal industry in the world and nearly 80% of the trafficked people are women and girls (Nazarene Compassionate Ministries, 2012). This extremely unjust issue can be further discovered through historical analysis, anthropological, psychological and sociological and personal perspectives. The start of trafficking in South Africa can be traced back to the 1400s when the European slave trading in Africa began. Portuguese transferred African people to Portugal for slavery purposes and later in 1562, the British were also affiliated with the slave trade in Africa. Shortly, in 1600s, other countries such as Spain, France, Sweden and Denmark also took part in the European slave trade (Yong, 2011). Women and young girls are at a high risk of being trafficked mostly into the sex industry serving as sex slaves. South Africa is the main African destination of trafficked women because of its renowned image as the place of having unlimited opportunities, which is often used as a mentality to lure women and girls into trafficking traps. Females from Angola, Mozambique, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe are usually trafficked to South Africa. There are several methods used to lure women in this trafficking business. A lack of awareness of the evil surrounding the real world contributes drastically to the high levels of trafficking. Traffickers will approach women that are economically deprived and are suffering because of poverty. They’re given false promises of food, shelter, material goods and employment which easily convinces the victims to leave their present circumstances and travel with the traffickers with the hope of receiving a better life. However, the disgusting truth unfolds, as these naïve women reach South Africa and are held captive and forced into labour and sex work. Sometimes they are even sold to brothels and pimps like merchandise. Females are also forced to work in agricultural and industrial industries where they’re required to work for long hours and are mistreated (Consultancy Africa Intelligence, 2012). Women and girls that are trafficked suffer from an immense amount of abuse, rape, sexually transmitted diseases, infections and mental health issues (South African Professional Society, 2007). In most cases of human trafficking in Africa, women’s passports are taken away, causing them to lose the opportunity of approaching the authorities for help, as they would be deported back to their home countries, which is sometimes against the victims’ will as the very upsetting cause of them being trafficked is the urgency to earn money in order to support their unfortunate families (Consultancy Africa Intelligence, 2012). This issue will be further analyzed through an anthropological perspective, addressing the cultural norms and beliefs regarding human trafficking of women and girls in Africa.

It is often been said that young girls in Africa are often looked upon as a burden, rather than as a gift of God. This creates the obligation for the parents to sell their daughters into trafficking. The main causes of trafficking women in Africa could range from a variety of different reasons. There might be violence against women and young girls and they might also suffer from discrimination and devaluation (South African Professional Society, 2007). Most girls and women in Africa are poor, malnourished and don’t have many educational and career opportunities. In order to have a better life and future, they’re easily manipulated by the sweet talks of the traffickers and end up in the disordered world of slavery and prostitution. Many of these females in Africa willingly continue to work for traffickers, in order to earn money that they can send back home to their loved ones (Consultancy Africa Intelligence, 2012). Traditional values and cultural beliefs are the major factors that keep families together and strengthen their bonds. If a mother is trafficked, then she can’t pass on the stories of her past generations or acknowledge her children about their country’s traditional principles and ethics. Therefore, this can cause a break down within the family and its cultural customs. Victims that are transported to another country may have a difficult time adapting to a new atmosphere and may be at the risk of losing the capability of speaking their native language or remembering their traditions. (Hart, 2009, 39). The following paragraph will examine this issue through a psychological perspective. The female victims of human trafficking will face a variety of psychological effects while in the industry or after escaping and being rescued. They’ll experience feelings of shame, depression, fear, self-hatred, distrust and suicidal thoughts (Grimes, 2010). Many of these victims are also at a high risk of being diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Disorder, which is an anxiety disorder that occurs after someone has experienced a distressing event which involved the threat of being killed or injured (PubMed Health, 2012). This can also include effects of insomnia, anxiety, physical hyper –alertness and self-loathing. Victims may constantly feel stressed, as they’d be worrying about their family members back home, fear of getting beaten up, deported or killed. This can lead to health problems such as heart attacks, stomach problems and break downs. They’ll start feeling worthless and suicidal thoughts may arise within them, as they’ll feel guilty and ashamed for trusting the traffickers. Even after they’re free, they may suffer from extreme panic attacks, which can cause them to overreact to different situations. They’ll have continuous nightmares reminding them of the horrible experiences that took place in the industry, which will cause them to become nervous and terrified (Hart, 2009, 35). They’ll lose trust in people, blame themselves, have a loss of appetite and feel the burning desire to punish the traffickers. They will attempt to self-injure themselves by cutting, drug overdoses, misuse of pills and poisoning (Chung, 2009). Some women in Africa that have been held captive accept that the traffickers have complete charge over them through debt bondage or by developing feelings of sympathy and love towards their captors, which is a psychological phenomenon known as the Stockholm syndrome (Consultancy Africa Intelligence, 2012). When young girls in Africa are trafficked they will suffer from low self-esteem issues, emotional disturbances, disorientations and will be scarred for life. They’ll be detected with numerous deep psychological disorders that will remain with them for the rest of their lives, which will obstructs them from having a clear state of mind in the future (Pokharna, 2011). The matter of human trafficking of women in Africa can also be further perceived through a sociological perspective. The impossibility of government satisfying their citizens’ needs, lack of social services, facilities, education systems and safety in Africa are the major factors as to why African females are easily lured into the trafficking industry. When the victims are deported to South Africa, they’ll feel the extreme agony of loneliness, as they’ll have no family support to help them get through the catastrophes. If the victims return home, and they go out in the society, due to their aggravating traumatic experiences, they may take out their anger on their friends and engage in fights or violent activities, which can spread the stress of anxiety and fear amongst the whole society (Hart, 2009, 38). When a victim is rescued, they may not want to disclose what happened with them or how they were treated. They might feel reluctant to remember the appalling experiences of forced labour and prostitution, as they might be afraid of how the society will judge or disown them for bringing disgrace to their community (South African Professional Society, 2007). Social stability is displayed by the number of jobs that trafficked humans are forced to perform, such as sexual work, slavery and domestic services. Because the owners don’t have to pay much money for this type of slavery, business becomes very profitable. However, jobs for the rest of population may be reduced. Sexual slaves are enforced to live in intolerable conditions, which increase the chances of them transmitting infectious diseases. The trafficking industry also promotes the use of violence, which increases the number of harm and deaths committed within the country (Human Trafficking, 2011). In the next paragraph, a personal perspective of this issue will be presented. Human trafficking has been so far the most disturbing and sickening topic I’ve researched about. Innocent young females being misled into the dreams of hoping for a better future are given false promises of tempting opportunities awaiting them in another part of a country. When they arrive to their destinations, they instantly become a prey of these heartless traffickers and are forced to engage in slavery and sex work. This thought of humans being sold like merchandise is extremely ridiculous and egocentric. All humans were created equally to live and enjoy life. Nobody should have the right to abuse or use them for their own profitable advantages. I myself am a female, and reading all these news articles about victims being treated like trash absolutely horrifies me, as I cannot imagine what being in their shoes would be like. The amount of torture, cruelty, suffocation and pain is indescribable and excruciating. I can understand why these females in Africa were easily provoked by the traffickers to travel with them. The surroundings in their homeland were quite unsafe and impoverished. However, getting involved in human trafficking isn’t the solution of finding a better life, because eventually it will only make it worse. It is awfully ghastly to see how some border officers are easily bribed by the traffickers to let them smuggle the victims across another country. Some victims are arrested or put on trial for offences that were performed as a result of them being trafficked. These injustices need to be stopped and amended. By punishing these unfortunate victims, we’re doing more harm than good, as instead of solving the problem, we’re adding more negativity to the suffering that’s already been experienced. By spreading awareness about human trafficking and its horrendous consequences and effects, we can hopefully alert people to stay cautious and to make wise decisions and so that the government can also introduce better systems to rescue and protect the victims of human trafficking (Consultancy Africa Intelligence, 2012). In conclusion, human trafficking is known as a violent crime against humanity which includes the exploitation of victims through the means of slavery, prostitution and domestic service. In Africa, thousands of young girls and women are transported to South Africa annually for sex work and labour. They’re dragged away from their loved ones back home in hopes of having a better life but are deceived and forced to work. They are immensely psychologically affected and have a hard time fitting into the society after being brutally trafficked. The misery and anguish that these victims have faced cannot be defined. Stripping of the victims’ innocence and abusing them is bluntly inhumane. This is an issue that shouldn’t be held aside; it’s an issue to fight against, so equality and justice can be brought back into this chaotic world.