Africa-Press – Lesotho. In an effort to raise awareness about human trafficking, BAM Group Foundation (BGF) held a dialogue with stakeholders to empower and educate the society
about possible red flags and available programs for rehabilitation and reintegration. This virtual dialogue attracted youth and human rights activists.
Beautiful Dream Society (BDS) Coordinator Puleng Maluleka highlighted that BDS offers protection for victims of trafficking through providing temporary shelter as
needed, providing counselling services, linking the victims with medical care, legal support and skills training opportunities. She said they also assist them
to reunite with their families and communities and they assist minor survivors to return to schools. Maluleka said trafficking in persons means recruitment, transportation, transfer,
harbouring or receipt of persons. She further said trafficking can happen by means of threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, abduction, fraud,
deception, abuse of power or position of vulnerability. “The push factors that causes human trafficking are poverty, unemployment, search for better life or fleeing
home because of economic hardships or political instability,” she said. Touching on the possible red flags, Maluleka said traffickers usually make unbelievably
high offers and promise higher than normal payments. She said they may also be willing to go out of the way to arrange for transport even if the victim does not have travelling
documents, adding that a person may look intimidated and uneasy and they avoid eye contact. “The most common trafficking in Lesotho seems to be sex trafficking as most victims we interact with at BDS are survivors of
sex trafficking from South Africa (SA),” she notified. Maluleka said the second highest of trafficking is forced marriages where youth are lure into fake jobs
only to find a marriage arrangement. Other common types of trafficking for males include forced labour and forced shepherding without payment. She emphasized that as BDS, they prevent human trafficking through raising
awareness in communities, bus stops, radios, schools and through a border monitoring program. Member of Parliament Hon. Fako Moshoeshoe said Lesotho is working very hard to ensure protection
of the Victims of Trafficking, saying preparations are under way to pass Child Protection Bill. He noted that the ultimate goal is to protect all human rights
and find effective ways to deal with perpetrators. As one of the panelists, US Embassy Regional Security Officer Derrick Tolliver said the US Embassy is dedicated to partner with the government of Lesotho and
Non-government Organizations (NGOs) to watch over human trafficking. He said they have coordinated with law enforcement agencies. “On my level as Regional
Officer, I work hand in hand with the entire trafficking unit under Lesotho Mounted Police Services (LMPS),” he said. At a higher level the embassy is
engaged with the Ministry of Home Affairs to ensure that the corporate laws and policies are in place and they ensure that victims are protected and trafficking is identified.
Tolliver said without a doubt, sex trafficking is the most prevalent type of trafficking in Lesotho. He said these happen through labour environment where foreigners
come to set up businesses and later take advantage of the weakness of the laws in Lesotho, the weakness in identifying trafficking and law enforcement and they export people from this country.
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