The trafficking of children for purposes of sexual exploitation

Here individual traits and problems are highlighted. These factors are generally indicated as the
following:
• sexual abuse as young children
• physical abuse by parents
• children emotionally abused by parents
• children who have a need to acquire luxury material goods, such as Reeboks, Nikes and Levi's
are vulnerable to be trafficked
• children who give in to peer pressure or pressure from siblings.
5. Profile of trafficked children
A survey done by The House, a place of safety and rehabilitation for sexually exploited children, in
Johannesburg, indicates that children vulnerable to sexual exploitation are children who 73
• range in age from 4 - 17 years
• travel from rural areas to Johannesburg for mainly two reasons – in search of missing parents or
in search of work
• have run away from places of safety
• have left parental homes where they were abused
• have left parental homes where there was not sufficient money to provide for the whole family
• were sexually exploited as a result of peer pressure.
In addition the following conditions place children at risk.
• children who have run away from places of institutional care and rehabilitation 74
• girl children who live in areas where there is a high incidence of gangsterism and gangs engaged
in prostitution, as one of their money-making activities 75
• girls who give into the pressure of a culture that equates the wearing of certain clothing brands
as indicative of status and conformity among peers
• girl children increasingly need to fend for themselves and provide for their own economic needs
• girl children who have left school at an early age
• girl children who desire a career in the modelling, fashion, film or hospitality industries
• girl children who do not have appropriate adult supervision.
• girl children vulnerable to parental pressure and coercion
• girl children who live in families where sexual abuse and sexual exploitation of children is
tolerated and regarded as normal.
6. Those involved in the sexual exploitation of children
From interviews a picture of the nature of the sexual exploitation of children, the categories of
traffickers, methods of trafficking, a profile of sex exploiters and a picture of areas where
trafficking take place emerge 76
6.1. The traffickers 77
• Parents (mothers in particular)
• Relatives, particularly brothers, sisters and cousins
• Adult sex workers
• Teachers
• Foreign nationals, organised in gangs and syndicates
• Strangers
• Gangs
• Minibus taxi drivers
73 Researchers field notes
74 Identified as a factor by Schurink et al and indicated in interviews see Chapter 6
75 Researchers field notes and interviews conducted. Also see Chapter 6 of this report.
76 Interviews with Glynis van Halter of Zizanani, Sister Puri Baloyi and representatives of The House, interviews with
children rescued from trafficking.
77 Researchers field notes and interviews with children and police officers.
31