Trafficking in human beings: human rights and ... - unesdoc - Unesco

further below). Most identifi ed human traffi cking victims have been women and children
who seem to be particularly vulnerable to sexual exploitation. Far fewer sources have
identifi ed either male victims or victims who have been subjected to forced labour, when
the popular perception, at least, is that it is men especially who might be expected to be
traffi cked for forced labour purposes. 388
Traffi ckers’ characteristics
Two main types of traffi cking groups can be identifi ed: one is hierarchically structured,
characterized by strong internal lines of control and discipline. In addition to human
traffi cking, these groups are heavily involved in the trans-national traffi cking of various
goods, including drugs and fi rearms, the smuggling of migrants, and kidnapping. Most of
these groups have a single leadership structure, a strong social or ethnic identity and used
violence as an essential means to carrying out their activities. The primary activity of the
second type of groups is human traffi cking, and they may be classifi ed as ’core groups’.
Such groups are characterized as consisting of a limited number of individuals forming a
relatively tight and structured core group surrounded by a loose network of ”associates”,
with the small size of the group helping to maintain internal discipline. Such groups
seldom have a social or ethnic identity. ’Core groups’ seem to be strictly profi t-orientated
and opportunistic, shifting between illegal activities on the basis of where the most profi ts
can be generated. Groups of this type focusing on human traffi cking operated across
several borders and were extremely violent. 389
Current research on traffi cking in South Africa indicates an array of national
players, some of them opportunists who combine their traffi cking activities
with other legitimate employment, (e.g. long distance truck drivers), many
who are known to the traffi cked person and their family, family members
themselves (refugees), law enforcement offi cials, and others who belong
to cross-border networks that may or not feed into large-scale regional
operations. Much is speculation in this area, and it is not diffi cult to
imagine a scenario of fl uid, individual or group arrangements that form,
mutate and develop according to shifting circumstance.
UNESCO: Human Traffi cking in South Africa: Root Causes and Recommendations
Various typologies may help identify the most important actors: the opportunistic amateur,
the most pervasive but least important group, composed of individuals or small groups
of friends, generally small-time opportunists and confi dence tricksters who are prompted
by an economic crisis or simple greed. These often use the “boy-friend” approach to lure
a woman into a position where she is powerless. These small scale entrepreneurs are the
388 UNODC: Traffi cking in Persons: Global Patterns. 2006. p. 33.
389 Ibid. p. 35.
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