Milnerton Local VEP Forum launched to tackle human trafficking and gender-based violence
The Western Cape Department of Social Development (DSD), through its Victim Empowerment Programme (VEP), has launched the innovative Milnerton Local VEP Forum.
The Local VEP Forum is a multi-stakeholder platform that will coordinate and pool the resources of all stakeholders working to tackle Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and human trafficking.
The Forum comprises of stakeholders from the Justice Crime Prevention & Security (JCPS) and social service cluster, such as;
- South African Police Services,
- National Prosecuting Authority,
- Specialist GBV NGOs,
- Shelters for abused women,
- Specialist anti-human trafficking NGOs (e.g. A21 Campaign),
- Academics from provincial universities.
The Forum will ensure the coordination of our services, and will minimize secondary victimization through the adoption of a victim-centered approach, as the adult victim of crime moves through the judicial system.
The Milnerton area, and surrounding neighbourhoods, has become a hotspot for trafficking of women, and GBV cases that are associated with this crime.
VEP social workers who specialize in dealing with human trafficking and GBV will work to refine and improve our collective service delivery response, to tackle these crimes and assist the victims of them.
South Africa continues to be a source, transit and destination country for victims of trafficking. Criminal traffickers are increasingly becoming organized crime syndicates, and use deceptive means to potentially abduct and traffick adults and children.
Given the complex and underground nature of trafficking, reliable statistics are difficult to come by, especially for children. However, research conducted in the Trafficking in Persons in the SADC Region: Baseline Report: 2016 shows that poverty & unemployment are viewed as the primary push factors behind the trafficking of persons in SA.
To combat human trafficking and GBV, the Department has drastically boosted our VEP budget by R13-million this financial year, allocating R46-million for shelter and victim support services.
The VEP provides safe accommodation for adult victims of human trafficking and GBV through a growing network of 16 shelters, across the province.
The shelter services provide for basic needs like food, clothing and security. The victims can also access psycho-social support, and other needed services like medical and legal assistance and skills development to enable economic empowerment.
Residents can report any suspected cases of trafficked women and/or children to the police or to the DSD Hotline on 0800 220 250. Alternatively, the public can seek assistance from our social workers at any of our local offices closest to them.
Enquiries:
Sihle Ngobese
7th floor, 14 Queen Victoria Street, Cape Town, 8000
Tel : 021 483 9217
Cell : 076 083 6543
Email : Sihle.Ngobese@westerncape.gov.za
