The kidnapping of children in South Africa is receiving a huge amount of attention and the Eastern Cape government has also taken note. They’re calling on communities to be vigilant and look after each other’s children.
It comes just a week after an attempted kidnapping in Uitenhage, Kwalanga. After a close call with would be kidnappers, the kids managed to escape, but it’s highlighted the need for greater vigilance from parents and children.
One of the children, *Nick, explains what happened.
“The man was wearing a big black jersey; he drove past and rolled the window. He said that he will get us. I wanted to run but I thought about my brother, he drove away and I was scared. We came home walking in a group”
The statistics from Missing Children South Africa show that only 77% of children reported missing are found.
The scale of human trafficking in South Africa is hard to quantify but it’s one of the crimes that most parents are worried about as Ntombozuko Peter explains:
“What scares us most is that our children go to school so far away and the cars are roaming in our area. When we call the police we don’t get them.”
Parents have been advised to be more observant and aware of their children’s surroundings. Research has found that criminals target victims from poorer provinces like the Eastern Cape, Northern Cape and the Free State.
Human trafficking takes different forms
Eastern Cape Premier Phumullo Masualle explains that it’s prompted a drive to create more platforms to sound the alert and for stronger community structures.
“Our police stations should be approached whenever there is any suspicion of a missing child, because there is also a toll free number that we can use to call our police, where we can find immediate response of that, so that it is a matter that must be looked after.”
Social Development Spokesperson Mzukisi Solani reiterates this sentiment, “Most of these activities they are happening right in our own communities so there is a lot of silence about it – you must break that silence first and its broken once using the structures of society.”
In South Africa, human trafficking takes different forms. It includes sex trafficking, child labour, domestic servitude, organ smuggling, ukuthwala (child brides) and illegal adoptions.
Bernadette Nel-Naude, Community Development Manager of Atlas says that the first line of defence is always your awareness.
“It was the past year and the few incidents that have been accruing. People tend to think that the world has gone mad and I really want to urge people out there that the first line of defence always starts with us as parents and our children and we must educate our children as to what to look out for.”
The provincial Education Department has also launched a school safety patrol programme. The idea is to place children in facilitated groups for the walk to school and back.
According to UNICEF an estimated 1.2 million children are trafficked every year.
*Names changed to protect the identities of those concerned
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