Citation

Mangu AM, Mbata SCT. Child Abuse Res. South Afr. 2016; 17(2): 13-36.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2016, South African Professional Society on the Abuse of Children)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Trafficking in persons is generally considered modern-day slavery and as such one of the most serious international crimes that the United Nations resolved to combat by adopting the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress, and Punish TIP, especially Women and Children - generally referred to as the 'Palermo Protocol' - which supplemented the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organised Crime (UNTOC). Any one may be the victim of trafficking in persons. However, the Protocol aimed to protect the persons who are particularly the most vulnerable, namely women and children. SADC is a regional organisation consisting of 15 member states, namely: Angola, Botswana, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Seychelles, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe. It is not immune to trafficking in persons, especially women and children since each member state is a source, a transit and a destination of trafficking in persons. To combat the scourge of trafficking in persons, several pieces of legislation were passed at the national level and the judiciary has stepped in to punish the perpetrators of this crime. At the regional level, a 10-Year SADC Strategic Plan of Action on Combatting Trafficking in Persons, especially Women and Children (2009-2019) was also adopted. Against this background, this article reflects on trafficking in persons in SADC Member States and assesses their compliance with the Palermo Protocol with a focus on the rights of the children.

Keywords: Human trafficking

Language: en