#EndHumanTrafficking: Tips and Reflections from Human Trafficking Awareness Session

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This year’s theme for Trafficking in Persons (TiP) is: #CallTheGovernmentToAction, which is where we need to have our government work hand in hand with survivors and society on putting perpetrators behind bars.

Mrs Nthatisi Thabane, from Home Affairs on the National Coordinating body of Trafficking in Persons spoke about how we are lured by traffickers. How they use our needs such us schools, scholarships, jobs, love, money, validation e.t.c., against us.

The hand of the law should work at protecting people from traffickers. A blue heart in TiP resembles a safe environment for trafficking victims. It says, I am Aware, I Care and I Stand with you.

‘Mrs Mojabeng Mosebo from Beautiful Dream Society shared how they serve as a point of referendum for people broken by Human Trafficking. Like all of us, they had dreams and their dreams were used against them. We should help them heal holistically.

They suffer loss of memory because their horrendous experiences puts their mind on survival mode. To cope, they train their minds to enjoy sex without consent to avoid suffering. That in itself is them losing their humanity. They create their own mental world to shield themselves from the psychological trauma of violence threats and violence itself.

The holistic assessment serves to locate the most important needs. It could be medical or psychological attention. Correction of bodily malfunctions, paranoia, clothing and malnutrition.

The therapy is to separate survivors from their negative experience, give them independence to withstand criticism. Switch their mindsets from vulnerability to independence. This work involves cooperation with doctors, psychologists, life skill coaches and police under the umbrella of the ministry of Home Affairs. There are success stories where people are assisted to the point of being activists.

Dr. Lineo Letlala, Head of Department, Obstetrics and Gynaecology Queen Mamohato Memorial (Ts’epong) touched on Human Trafficking at a small scale, within villages and a country. She shared her experience of acquiring a helper from someone and learning that people brokering helper deals without being registered to the ministry of Trade are human trafficking.

Helpers don’t often do not know who is employing them and where they are going, which poses a critical risk that subjects them to abuse because there is no contractual agreement on what they are going to do and for how long.

She highlighted untold stories of pregnancies within household settings, separation of helpers with their children and some even being locked up. There are various human rights violations that play out and go unchallenged.

She championed Gate Keeping as a precaution, stressing that people undertake research before engaging in potentially hazardous situations. She informed us that they employ a holistic approach to assisting human trafficking survivors. They try to solve bodily, mental and spiritual harm that has befallen survivors.

Examples of bodily harm are unplanned pregnancy, incurable STDs and dangerous operations for trafficking drugs. Mentally, survivors have chronic fear, depression and other psychological disorders.

Spiritually, the heinous, bodily and mental torture survivors go through make them question the existence of God. They wonder how a Heavenly Father can stand aside and let them go through so much suffering. Therefore, religion to them no longer serves as an opiate. They need extensive therapy to recover.

She brought our attention to another effect on survivors where they end up being people abusers, exploiting kindness and empathy from people. It could be inflicting injury on themselves to satisfy their drug addiction or constantly asking for assistance from people who helped them once.

In conclusion, she strongly stated that we put gate keepings and inform the boy or girl child that it is okay not to have because needs and wants are weapons used by traffickers.

Mrs Moleboheng Tau taught us about Lesotho’s Health System. P1 up to 3 are provisions within the system to prevent victims from going through tedious hospital procedures. Even care in the wards for survivors is different.

Dr Banda, a psychotherapist from Khaya Holdings, which is a production house, elaborated on how they engage in various sensitization and how Human Trafficking is their core before showing us Palesa, a reality based movie about a Mosotho girl that escaped from a brothel in Jo’burg, South Africa. The movie is yet to be released after funding has been raised to pay the cast. Additionally, Dr Banda expressed gratitude for the cooperation of LTV in willing to air it upon release, as well as other pertinent bodies.

Discussions after the movie revealed how the movie could be an effective tool in spreading awareness. Sincere compliments were given to the cast. Dr Banda clarified that some graphic atrocities were excluded to make the movie reach its intended audience of PG13 although they would have served well as deterrents to bad girls who think they can make a living from human trafficking.

Another vital concern was that of brothels being legal in South Africa and how safety and protection measures should be taken by the government to curb Human Trafficking. The concern coincides thoroughly with this year’s theme.

Toby quickly shared her story and urged us to like the page Human Trafficking Lesotho on Facebook and share relevant content.

Before we parted ways, there was a quick word by Keketso Hanyane, a student from Mazenod High School and a proud member of Justice and Peace Lesotho.

He schooled us on how traffickers use false identities to evade the law and organize false papers for their victims to alienate them from any form of help. He mentioned organ harvesting, child breeding, sex trafficking and household slavery, which could be sexual or chore related.

Having attended the event, we are the ears of those who didn’t hear and have a duty to spread the message to protect everybody.

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Khothatso Kolobe
Khothatso is a creative willing to do and be anyone and anything to make a positive impact. His creative history is available on Facebook and Instagram (@artzoniac). He's a multi dimensional being accomplishing universal good.