SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT HEAD LEADS ANTI-TRAFFICKING AWARENESS CAMPAIGN AT FARM SCHOOL

By DSD News.

• At-Risk Learners: Campaign targets farm school near the Botswana border to address trafficking risks.
• Prevention Through Education: Learners informed about trafficking tactics and consequences.
• ⁠Border Outreach: SAPS and social workers engage travellers and drivers at the Kopfontein border.

As part of World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, the Acting Head of the North West Department of Social Development, Peggy Mhlongo-Kgaboesele, led an anti-human trafficking awareness campaign at Nietverdiend Hoërskool, a farm school in the Ramotshere-Moiloa Local Municipality, today.

Commemorated under the theme “Trafficking is Organised Crime: End Exploitation,” the campaign focused on educating learners, educators, and parents about the dangers of human trafficking and the urgent need to safeguard children’s rights—particularly in remote and vulnerable communities.
“Traffickers often target children due to hitchhiking, alcohol use, and limited access to information,” said Mhlongo-Kgaboesele. “Creating awareness is a vital step in prevention.”
Learners were informed about:
•⁠ ⁠The definition and types of human trafficking
•⁠ ⁠Methods used by traffickers to recruit victims
•⁠ ⁠Consequences, including sexual exploitation, forced marriages, organ trade, and drug trafficking
•⁠ ⁠Children’s rights and how trafficking infringes upon them
In addition to the school engagement, Mhlongo-Kgaboesele led a team of social workers and SAPS officers to the Kopfontein Border Post, where they distributed information pamphlets to truck drivers and travellers. Authorities highlighted that the area has recorded trafficking incidents in the past, with the school’s proximity to the Botswana border posing a heightened risk.

The Department reaffirmed its commitment to collaborative efforts with law enforcement, communities, and educational institutions to strengthen prevention measures and protect vulnerable children from exploitation.