Jamilliah Halley
October 10, 2008
Mozambique: Local Schools Vulnerable to Human Trafficking
The former First Lady of South Africa Graca Machel spoke at a regional conference in Maputo held by the Southern Africa Network against the Traffic in and Abuse of Minors(SANTAC). She spoke about the fact that children in Mozambique are at risk of being kidnapped from school and placed in trafficking rings. She says this is possible because this because the scholl are vulnerable
The school are vulnerable because they don’t have any wall have any or fences, and they don’t have any security guards to help keep them safe. She also spoke on the fact that they are particularly targeting young girls to place them in prostitution or forced labor. She spoke that teachers shpuld teach children not to talk or aceept help from someone they don’t know, and that everyone in their extended family should not be trusted cause they could put them in harm just as fast as a stranger.
The South African government is working to ensure that they ensure the passage of legislation on trafficking in people in order to discourage trafficking when the football world cup is in South Africa in 2010.
I feel that Machel is completely right. PErcautionns should be taken to ensur that children are safe in a place that they feel safe. They should also be taught that they cannot be free and open with any and everyone that they meet. And the 2010 world cup should be a good one.
http://allafrica.com/storis/200810100080.html
2 comments:
They should try as hard as possible to make the schools more secure. By heightening security children will be less vulnerable.
I don't know what local schools look like in the region (my elementary school experiences in Israel and America differed greatly), but I can imagine that it can be hard to control the flow of people around a school (especially since you say the article mentioned even extended family as a threat).
In Mozambique do the kids walk home? Or is the article saying that these kids are literally kidnapped on school grounds?
I'd be interested to hear more about this issue.
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