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WHO WE AREThe International Organization for Migration (IOM) is part of the United Nations System as the leading inter-governmental organization promoting since 1951 humane and orderly migration for the benefit of all, with 175 member states and a presence in 171 countries.
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- Data and Research
- 2030 Agenda
Working with South African Youth on Integration and Human Trafficking Issues
It was a day to raise awareness of human trafficking and to promote
unity and integration of foreigners through door-to-door contact, a
music and dance competition and a discussion with community members
and leaders in Alexandra township, a poor informal settlement in
Gauteng province, South Africa.
Poverty and lack of basic services among communities are linked
to vulnerability to human trafficking. A report released by IOM and
United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in
October 2008 highlighted that internal trafficking is a big problem
in South Africa, with victims most often recruited from rural areas
where poverty and unemployment increase their vulnerability. This
is compounded by public misperceptions that human trafficking is
only a cross-border issue.
Activities such as this one in Alexandra, located on the
northern outskirts of Johannesburg close to the wealthy suburb of
Sandton and with a population of about 470,000, are crucial to
raise community awareness on such issues and to help promote the
creation of community protection structures.
But the event, held jointly by IOM, the city of Johannesburg's
Migrant Helpdesk and its Youth Development Forum (CJYDF), also
became an opportunity to raise some other concerns.
It's not much more than a year since xenophobic violence hit
communities in South Africa, leaving more than 60 dead and over
100,000 displaced. Now, some community members in Alexandra,
where it is widely believed the violence first began in May
2008, have warned that the attacks may reoccur.
Speaking to CJYDF youth peer educators, community members voiced
concerns about the lack of housing and basic services, and blamed
some of these challenges on the presence of non-nationals, whom
they often referred to as "illegal immigrants". But residents
also acknowledged that human trafficking was becoming a concern,
and welcomed awareness activities to help prevent it from
escalating.
The day's activities in Alexandra followed recent similar events
in the informal settlement of Zanspruit in the northern side of
Johannesburg, an area badly affected by xenophobic violence, and in
Randburg. By using local youths from the CJYDF as peer
educators, the activities are designed to promote change from
within these communities so that such incidents don't reoccur.
"The activities target townships that were most affected by
xenophobic violence in May 2008, and are run with the secondary aim
of promoting informal discussions about common challenges that face
these communities, and means of addressing these challenges without
resorting to violence," says Itumeleng Magongoa, CJYDF project
coordinator.
Despite concerns over migrants, what really mattered for
residents was an end to corruption in the housing sector. They also
felt that more should be done to create fora for regular dialogue
so that issues of human trafficking and xenophobia can be frankly
addressed. This, they thought, could help enhance the community's
understanding of migrants' rights, and help protect women and
children, who are particularly vulnerable to human trafficking.
The awareness activities, supported by the US State Department's
Bureau for Population, Refugees and Migration (PRM) and the
Norwegian Foreign Ministry, form part of IOM's Southern
African Counter-Trafficking Assistance Programme (SACTAP) and the
ONE Movement campaign (
"http://www.1movement.co.za/" target="_blank" title=
"">http://www.1movement.co.za/). The ONE Movement is a social
change campaign under the patronage of Archbishop Desmond Tutu,
which engages the public, government, international and civil
society organizations in a joint effort to promote a culture of
tolerance, respect, human dignity, and unity in diversity across
South Africa and Africa.
For more information, please contact:
Nde Ndifonka
IOM Pretoria
Tel: +27 12 342 2789
E-mail:
"mailto:nndifonka@iom.int">nndifonka@iom.int