On Friday, local non-profit organisation Free to Fly will do a special screening of the movie Priceless in Bellville to raise awareness about the issue of human trafficking in South Africa.
Also read: US State Department report highlights concerns over human trafficking
The 2016 American Christian romantic drama focuses on James (played by Joel Smallbone), who embarks on a cross-country delivery job – no questions asked. The delivery turns out to be two young women.
‘It doesn’t explain everything, but it explains one of the factors,’ says Salome Geiger, co-founder of the Cape Town-based Free to Fly. She says that human trafficking has been increasing even in the northern suburbs of Cape Town.
‘Many suburbs in Cape Town, sadly, have this problem. It’s definitely getting worse. People are becoming more desperate.’ According to News24, the organisation plans to open the first places of safety aimed solely at child survivors in South Africa.
Earlier this year, the United States Government identified and referred 74 trafficking victims to care in South Africa. As per its Trafficking in Persons report, this number included 42 labour trafficking victims, 23 sex trafficking victims and nine victims of unspecified forms of trafficking, compared with identifying 83 victims and referring 74 victims to care in the previous reporting period.
However, Professor Philip Frankel, author of Human Trafficking in South Africa, estimates that there are possibly 250 000 victims in South Africa alone.
Free to Fly aims to raise awareness of the fact that there are different signs and ways of human trafficking, with victims often not realising that they are being trafficked. Geiger says a new trend is where victims get invited to a fake job, while others get lured by fake modelling or sports contracts.
In many cases, victims come from other countries and can’t understand any language in South Africa, which traps them further.
The organisation holds regular awareness talks at schools and other places and supplies the government with information gathered on potential victims.
Details:
- Cost: From R25
- Time: 7pm
- Location: 44 Mabel Street, Oakdale, Bellville, Cape Town
- Tickets: https://www.quicket.co.za/events/232659-priceless-movie-viewing/#/
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