Prevention versus Cure

01/07/2025

01/07/2025

11/03/2025

As the trial of missing six-year-old Joshlin Smith enters its seventh day, new witnesses from the Saldanha Bay community are set to testify about their experiences following her disappearance.

Joshlin was last seen on 19 February 2024. Her mother, Racquel ‘Kelly’ Smith, her boyfriend, Jacquen ‘Boeta’ Appollis, and their friend, Steveno ‘Steffie’ van Rhyn, have been charged with kidnapping and human trafficking.

On Monday, four witnesses—including a detective and community members—took the stand. Constable Refilwe Sekhobe testified about taking initial statements and detailed how she and her partner, Sergeant Meyer Milstein, first became involved in the case.

Several other witnesses also testified:

Namhla Tinzi, Kelly’s neighbour, recounted the community’s reaction after learning of Joshlin’s disappearance.
Carlien Zeegers, Kelly’s former employer, described her as a good mother who faced difficult circumstances.
Natasha Andrews, a family friend, revealed that she had once wanted to adopt Joshlin, but the process fell through.

As the trial progresses, more testimonies are expected to shed light on Joshlin’s disappearance and the events surrounding it.

Information from 👉 https://www.iol.co.za/news/south-africa/western-cape/joshlin-smith-trial-new-witnesses-expected-as-case-enters-seventh-day-39b24d5c-4347-4209-9ee1-47d89817dca1

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26/02/2025

When May was at her most vulnerable, she came across an ad for a factory job in another city.

But her neighbours were wary and referred May to Blue Dragon, a non-profit dedicated to rescuing human trafficking victims.

“I began noticing abnormal signs in job [offers] that seemed too good to be true — highly attractive, well-paid for special skills or reference checks,” said Blue Dragon’s Thuc.

An anti-trafficking board, formed by local teachers, police officers, and activists, advised May not to apply.

Thuc, one of the board members, invited May to a workshop on trafficking risks — and through case studies, May learned how traffickers operate.

May believes the intervention saved her from being baited to a scam compound.

Scam compounds have become a growing problem across South-East Asia.

Victims trafficked to the compounds are forced to lure others into fraudulent schemes such as investing in fake cryptocurrency investments through romance scams.

Romance scams are typically carried out on social media platforms or dating apps, with fraudsters asking for money after developing an online relationship with the victim.

Read full story 👉 https://amp.abc.net.au/article/104953504

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25/02/2025

Lured by the promise of well-paying jobs in Southeast Asia, thousands instead allegedly end up enslaved in jail-like compounds and forced to carry out online scams

Many are lured by the promise of well-paying jobs, but instead end up enslaved secure compounds where they are forced to carry out online scams.

The operations have become increasingly globalised, with victims from across Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and South America. Research by the US Institute of Peace estimated these scams generate $63.9bn a year in global revenue, the majority of which ($39bn) is generated in Cambodia, Myanmar and Laos.

At least 120,000 people across Myanmar and another 100,000 in Cambodia may be forced to work in the industry, the UN says.

‘Punishing people like animals’
Six months ago, Shazab, a 24-year-old man from Pakistan flew to Bangkok to take up what he thought was a job in IT. Instead, he says, his phone and passport were confiscated and he was unwittingly trafficked across the border to a scam centre in Myanmar.

Read full story 👉 https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/feb/25/beatings-torture-and-electric-shocks-freed-scam-compound-workers-allege-horrific-abuse

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20/02/2025

A criminal organization involved in the trafficking of foreign women for s*xual exploitation has been dismantled following a coordinated police operation on February 14 and 15.

Nine members of the group, including its leaders, were arrested and now face charges related to – depending on the case – organized crime, human trafficking, pimping, violation of official seals, electricity theft, r**e, kidnapping, and violations of weapons and drug laws.

In addition to the initial arrests, 17 more individuals were apprehended during the investigation on charges of pimping and violation of official seals.

Other members of the network were responsible for trafficking vulnerable women from abroad, transporting them to apartments in Athens, and keeping them under strict control to prevent escape. In one case, a member of the organization used violence and threats to kidnap a woman and detain her illegally in an Athens apartment for six days. During her captivity, she was drugged, s*xually assaulted, and forced into prostitution.

Furthermore, 24 women were provided protection and support, with 20 identified as potential victims of human trafficking and four confirmed as victims.

The arrested individuals have been transferred to the relevant judicial authorities for further processing.

Read full story 👉 https://www.ekathimerini.com/news/1261920/police-dismantle-human-trafficking-ring-operating-in-athens/

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13/02/2025

One woman has turned her story of pain and suffering into one of empowerment and dialogue. After surviving s*xual and domestic violence as a child, Pauline Akinyi Juma founded Rebirth of a Queen, an organization designed to embolden and include survivors of s*xual and gender-based violence and human trafficking in the process of decision making.

When looking to find the root causes of trafficking, they can vary from country to country and are often influenced by social, economic, cultural, and other factors. Poverty is often pointed to as the root issue. Yet, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime calls out another factor, that is “that the desire of potential victims to migrate is exploited.”

“It’s poverty that takes us away from our countries to go to other countries to look for an opportunity,” Juma points out. She stresses it is important for everyone to remember that they are human beings, no matter where they go. And as humans, they deserve dignity.

Read full story 👉 https://www.vaticannews.va/en/world/news/2025-02/human-trafficking-kenya-rebirth-of-a-queen.html

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11/02/2025

Marches and Masses in more than 30 African countries were organized Feb. 8 to raise voices against human trafficking, marking the feast day of St. Josephine Bakhita, and kicking off a Jubilee Year campaign “Restoring Hope in Africa: A Jubilee Call to End Human Trafficking.”

Feb. 8 honors the Sudanese-born patron saint of human trafficking victims and serves as a focal point for prayer and awareness activities.

Sister Yvonne Clémence Bambara, Talitha Kum’s regional coordinator for Africa, told OSV News that it’s believed an estimated 25% of global human trafficking crimes may be taking place in Africa.

Sister Yvonne said the $150 billion-worth trade is driven in Africa by a multiplicity of factors, including poverty, terrorism and conflict, which lead to forced migration, exposing people on the move to physical and s*xual exploitation.

Feb. 8 marches were accompanied by Masses, prayers, meetings with community leaders and elders, as well as awareness campaigns to educate the public about the challenges of human trafficking.

Read full story 👉 https://www.osvnews.com/african-catholics-join-forces-against-human-trafficking-in-unprecedented-campaign/

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10/02/2025

10/02/2025

Amanda Palmer, the estranged wife of author and accused s*x predator Neil Gaiman, has denied allegations levelled against her in US court proceedings by former nanny Scarlett Pavlovich.

Pavlovich, who was a 22-year-old drama student when she met Palmer on an Auckland street in 2020, has accused Gaiman of human trafficking, s*xual abuse, assault, r**e, and coercion, beginning in February 2022. The suit also names Palmer, accusing her of “procuring” Pavlovich for Gaiman and failing to warn her of her husband’s history of alleged s*xual misconduct.

Stressing that she maintains her “recent request for privacy as I navigate this extremely difficult moment” and that her chief desire was to “protect my young child and his privacy”, she added: “I will not respond to the specific allegations being made against me except to say that I deny the allegations and will respond in due course.”

Read full story 👉 https://www.smh.com.au/culture/music/amanda-palmer-wife-of-neil-gaiman-denies-s*x-trafficking-allegation-20250210-p5lasb.html?ref=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_source=rss_feed

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04/02/2025

Gaiman and Palmer are alleged to have taken advantage of Pavlovich, knowing she was destitute and had suffered with mental health issues. At the time she went to work for them as a live-in nanny.

Over the next few months, Pavlovich alleges that Gaiman repeatedly and violently r**ed her. He also choked her and hit her with a belt, called her his “slave,” and demanded that he call her “master,” the lawsuit alleges.
“Gaiman engaged in many nonconsensual s*x acts with Scarlett,” the suit states. “Those acts were abusive and demeaning… Scarlett endured those acts because she would lose her job, housing, and promised future career support if she did not.”

The suit accuses Gaiman of cultivating a reputation as a feminist, which caused her to think initially that he could be trusted. By the end, Pavlovich states that she was suicidal, and had to be hospitalized at a psychiatric center.

Read full story 👉 https://variety.com/2025/tv/news/neil-gaiman-amanda-palmer-sued-for-r**e-human-trafficking-babysitter-1236296144/

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