Modern slavery is the severe exploitation of other people for personal or commercial gain through many different forms. According to the Global Slavery Index report released in 2016, there were an estimated 248,700 modern slaves in South Africa.(1) Of all the modern slavery forms, human trafficking is the most severe one in South Africa. Although the government of South Africa is making significant efforts to eliminate human trafficking, the country does not yet fully meet the minimum standards for it. In South Africa, girls are trafficked for the purposes of commercial sexual exploitation and domestic servitude, while boys are used for street vending, food service, and agriculture on a daily basis. (2) There is evidence that suggests the children, too, are also being forced to provide unpaid labors. According to UNICEF, around 1.2 million South African children are involved in human trafficking each year.(3) Despite the government’s effort to prevent the human trafficking, the number of cases had been keep rising. Department of State released a report criticizing the government’s methodology, noting that “the government made little progress in prosecution of traffickers connected to international syndicates, which facilitated sex and labor trafficking with impunity throughout the country”.(4) As  the trafficking often takes place where police and government are corrupted, it leaves very minimal risk for traffickers to get caught by the police. This has also decreased the public awareness of the public regarding this pressing issue. 

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          In 2008, South Africa has been placed on “Tier 2 Watchlist” for human trafficking, which represents countries whose governments do not fully comply with TVPA’s (Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000) minimum standards, but are making significant efforts to bring themselves into compliance with those standards.(5)  While there is only one tier 1 country in Africa (Namibia), South Africa’s human trafficking situation has remained to be a pressing issue. It is widely considered that South Africa is a transit, destination, and source country for human trafficking. Organized trafficking rings subject some Botswana women to trafficking internally or transport women from neighboring countries such as South Africa and subject them to sexual exploitation. Traffickers use Eswatini as a transit country to transport foreign victims to South Africa for forced labor. (7) Recently, traffickers have reportedly subjected People's Republic of China nationals and forced manufacturing of medical masks for the prevention of COVID-19 in South Africa (8). Despite the ongoing human trafficking happening in South Africa, the government has been making big strides and trying its best to solve the problem. The government conducted national awareness-raising activities during the reporting period. An NGO operated a National Human Trafficking Resource Line, which received 2,543 calls that led to the identification of 22 victims from South Africa, Eswatini, Ghana, and Malawi.  Government procedures have been established for agencies like SAPS (South African Police Service), DSD (Department of Social Development), NPA (National Prosecution Authority), and the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development (DOJCD) to identify and refer trafficking victims. (9) With that being said, human trafficking is still one of the most pressing forms of modern slavery in South Africa, and millions of children each year has been forced to do labors and other tragic deeds. The fight is not over yet. 

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