Day: June 13, 2022

Now measures are underway to dismantle the human trafficking networks operating within the Dzaleka Refugee Camp, identify and rescue their victims, and bring those responsible to justice.

“The situation was much worse than we first envisaged,” says UNODC’s Maxwell Matewere, who initially visited the camp in October 2020, where he trained camp staff and law enforcement officers how to detect and respond to trafficking cases.

“I even witnessed a kind of Sunday market, where people come to buy children who were then exploited in situations of forced labour and prostitution,” he adds.

UNODC coached and mentored 28 camp officials and law enforcement officers who are now involved in the identification of victims and the investigation of trafficking cases and will train other colleagues at police stations and border crossing posts.

90 victims rescued so far

Since the training and the implementation of new anti-trafficking procedures, over 90 victims of human trafficking have been identified and rescued.

The guidelines for the identification, rescue, and referral of victims were developed by UNODC, with the support of the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

“UNHCR together with all its partners will never give up on its efforts to stop the scourge of human trafficking and smuggling among refugees in Malawi,” says Owen Nyasulu, a Field Protection Associate at UNHCR’s Malawi office, who is supporting UNODC’s work at the Dzaleka Refugee Camp.

Most of the victims rescued are men from Ethiopia, aged between 18 and 30. There are girls and women too, aged between 12 and 24 from Ethiopia, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Trafficked at the age of 10

Some of the victims were assisted to return to their countries of origin, while others are being cared for in safe houses. Several victims, who were identified at border crossings, requested to be returned to the camp to seek asylum.

One 16-year-old girl from DRC was rescued from a situation of forced prostitution by an undercover police officer who had been trained by UNODC.

“I arrived at the camp in 2009 after leaving my home country due to conflict,” she says. “One evening in a nightclub inside the camp, I was approached by a man who told me he was identifying people who were being exploited.”

The girl, who was trafficked at the age of 10, explains that at first she did not believe or trust the officer, since she thought “all men were violent and looking for sex”.

“That evening, I had been beaten by one of my clients for refusing to have sex due to a cut that was bleeding. I was in pain and it was visible. The officer was friendly and he took me to a safe house.”

She is now attending a computer literacy class and hopes to return home: “In the future, I would like to be a teacher, and I want to be reunited with my brother who I have not seen for a long time,” she says.

Children sold as farm labour

The new procedures contain clear guidelines for the transfer of victims to authorities where they can receive appropriate care.

“Before our intervention, victims of human trafficking would have been placed in police cells or prisons, alongside criminals. Now they are referred to specially equipped safe houses that we helped prepare for the arrival of the victims,” says UNODC’s Maxwell Matewere.

Various types of human trafficking have been identified in the Dzaleka Refugee Camp.

Children are trafficked within and outside of the camp for farm labour and domestic work.

Women and girls are exploited sexually inside Dzaleka, in Malawi or transported for the purpose of sexual exploitation to other countries in Southern Africa. Male refugees are being subjected to forced labour inside the camp or on farms in Malawi and other countries in the region.

An international network

The camp is also being used as a hub for the processing of victims of human trafficking. Traffickers recruit victims in their home country under false pretences, arrange for them to cross the border into Malawi and enter the camp.

Based on the recent, successful operations in the camp, which were based on intelligence information, the police now have more knowledge about the international nature of the trafficking network.

“There is evidence that victims are sourced in Ethiopia, DRC and Burundi by agents of the trafficking network offering work opportunities in South Africa – the economic powerhouse on the continent,” says Mr. Matewere.

“At the camp, they are told they need to pay off the debts incurred from being smuggled into Malawi. They are exploited there or transported to other countries in the region for forced labour.”

So far there have been five arrests and the cases are ongoing. The suspected traffickers are from Malawi, Ethiopia, Burundi, Rwanda, and DRC.

Too scared to testify

However, according to the Malawian Police Service, efforts to convict human traffickers and migrant smugglers are being hampered because the people affected are too scared to testify in court.

The Dzaleka Refugee Camp, the largest in Malawi, was established in 1994 and is home to more than 50,000 refugees and asylum seekers from five different countries. It was originally designed to accommodate 10,000 people.

“We do fear that this is just the beginning, and there are huge numbers of victims. Authorities strongly suspect there is a highly organised, international syndicate operating from within the camp,” says UNODC’s Maxwell Matewere.

Awareness-raising material about human trafficking will be distributed soon in the camp and is expected to lead to more victims coming forward for assistance.

“All security agencies operating in the camp must be frequently reminded about their role to eradicate human trafficking through regular training,” says UNHCR’s Owen Nyasula.

“These agencies need to work closely with religious and community leaders, as well as local police forces, to stop this form of modern slavery,” he concludes.

Source: United Nations

The South African Police Service (SAPS) in KwaZulu-Natal has launched the Specialised Multi-Disciplinary Economic Infrastructure Task Teams (EITTs) in an effort to curb the scourge of damage to and theft of economic infrastructure in the province.

Deputy Provincial Commissioner for Policing in KZN, Major General Phumelele Makoba, officially launched the EITTs on Monday.

The launch comes after President Cyril Ramaphosa, in his State of the Nation Address in February, said the ongoing damage to and theft of economic infrastructure has “damaged confidence and severely constrained economic growth, investment and job creation”.

The President said the country needs to confront the criminal gangs that invade construction sites and other business places to extort money from companies, saying this requires “a focused and coordinated response”.

Addressing the launch at the Durban Central police station, Makoba urged all role-players to work together in an integrated manner to stem the scourge and bring the perpetrators to book.

“We are convinced that the perpetrators of these crimes are repeat offenders and we need to strike a blow to these criminal syndicates, and bring an end to the theft and destruction of our essential infrastructure.”

The EITTs will focus on the following areas:

• Non-ferrous metal theft (e.g. copper cable theft);

• Essential infrastructure crimes (eg. tampering, damaging or destroying of infrastructure related to energy, transport, water, sanitation and communication services);

• Critical infrastructure crimes (e.g. pipeline fuel theft);

• Extortion at construction and or economic sites; and

• Combating of illegal mining and illicit trafficking.

Three teams were formed that will be dealing with these crimes and they will be based in the Ethekwini, Umgungundlovu and King Cetshwayo Districts, where these crimes are most prevalent.

The SAPS in KZN said the teams consist of various disciplines from the police, government departments, other law enforcement agencies, State-owned entities, cellular telephone providers and the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation.

“The EITTs will ensure the integration of operational processes, resources and intelligence across all operational environments of the SAPS under a single command in order to successfully address economic infrastructure related crimes and extortion in a coherent and synergised manner,” SAPS said.

Source: South African Government News Agency

PRETORIA - Pumelela Matshikwe (37), has been sentenced for corruption in contravention of the Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities (PRECCA) Act, following a plea agreement with the state in the Pretoria Specialised Commercial Crime Court on Friday.

The Hawks’ Serious Corruption Investigation ensued in June 2016, following a complaint launched by Cricket South Africa (CSA). Matshikwe was consequently served with court summons and charged on 17 February 2022 which has culminated in his conviction.

The case relates to the 2015/16 T20 ram-slam cricket tournament hosted in South Africa where Matshikwe received a total of R50 000-00, enticement to participate in match fixing during the said tournament. The investigations further revealed that he was further promised $50 000 per fix which would have netted him approximately R700 000-00 per occurrence. Matshikwe, however never participated in the spot fixing apart from receiving the initial R50 000-00 enticement which he admitted to when the whistle was blown.

The investigation, led by CSA implicated four other individuals for their role in the conspiracy. They were banned for between seven and twelve years by International Cricket Council (ICC). A former Proteas, Lions and Titans player Gulam Bodi was the first to be convicted in this case to five years imprisonment in October 2019, after he admitted to charges of attempting to fix matches in the same series. Bodi acted as an intermediary for international betting syndicates, approaching certain players with a view to engaging in fixing activities during the competition.

Source: South African Police Service

Ministers Responsible for Gender and Women's Affairs from the Southern African Development Community (SADC) have urged Member States to develop effective and sustainable gender-based violence (GBV) prevention programmes.

The call came at the ministers’ meeting held recently in Lilongwe, Malawi, to review progress on the implementation of gender and development programmes in the region, as well as the revised SADC Protocol on Gender and Development.

The Ministers expressed concern about the high prevalence of GBV in the region, and urged Member States to improve GBV data collection and implement the SADC Regional Strategy and Framework of Action for Addressing GBV. The framework is part of efforts to achieve gender equality, and promote peace and security.

In her opening remarks, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Malawi and Chairperson of the SADC Council of Ministers, Nancy Tembo, commended Member States for seizing the unique opportunity to discuss policy issues and for gracing a platform to share insights, experiences and lessons.

“Gender equality is a critical component and contributing factor to SADC Member States and the region’s long-term development,” Tembo said.

Tembo advocated for equal recognition and creation of a favourable environment in which both men and women can continue to enjoy their full rights without any infringement or oppression, with equal employment opportunities, businesses, access to financial institutions, and representation in leadership positions.

During the meeting, the Ministers approved the SADC Gender and Development Monitor on Women in Politics and Decision-making for 2022, with emphasis on Articles 5, 12 and 13 of the Protocol on Representation, Participation, and Special Measures, which aim to achieve gender parity in political and decision-making roles.

The Ministers also approved the extension of the SADC Strategy on Women, Peace, and Security from 2022 to 2030 to support the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security.

The strategy addresses the impact of conflict on women and the importance of women's full and equal participation in conflict resolution, peacebuilding, peacekeeping, humanitarian response, and post-conflict reconstruction.

In implementing the SADC Regional Multi-dimensional Women Economic Empowerment Programme (RMD-WEEP) 2020-2030, the Ministers reviewed progress on the SADC Industrialisation and Women's Economic Empowerment Project (IWEE Project).

The project aims to increase women-owned businesses' and female entrepreneurs' participation in value addition for selected sectors and regional value chains (RVCs).

Revised Gender Mainstreaming Resource Kit approved

The Ministers also approved the Revised Gender Mainstreaming Resource Kit, which supports gender mainstreaming across several sectors.

The kit contains 10 sector-specific modules, which provide practical guidance on gender mainstreaming in regional integration priority sectors.

The Ministers urged Member States that have not yet signed and ratified the Revised SADC Protocol on Gender and Development to do so to facilitate implementation of the protocol.

The Protocol aims to empower women, eliminate discrimination, and achieve gender equality by encouraging and harmonising gender responsive legislation, policies, programmes, and projects.

Malawi Gender, Community Development and Social Welfare Minister, Dr Patricia Kaliati, underscored the region's determination to fully cultivate a robust approach embedded in the Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan (RISDP 2020-2030), which will see a meaningful change of gender agenda interwoven in many SADC programmes and projects.

Kaliati highlighted a number of barriers and situations preventing women and girls from achieving gender parity. She called for an accelerated implementation of regional protocols, strategies, policies and programmes to support women's efforts, by encouraging them to participate in growth and progress toward a better future.

Kaliati also called for the active promotion of effective GBV prevention initiatives, and highlighted physical and social misfortunes that befall women and girls, including defilement, rape, HIV/AIDS, and limited access to productive resources.

SADC Deputy Executive Secretary for Corporate Affairs, Ambassador Joseph Nourrice, commended Member States for their achievements and efforts in mainstreaming gender equality into key policy areas, and advocated for active promotion of the gender machinery through active participation of all institutional players in the public, private, and voluntary sectors.

The meeting was attended physically and virtually by Ministers or their representatives from 13 Member States, including Angola, Botswana, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Eswatini, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, the United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Source: South African Government News Agency