Tackling Human Trafficking in South Africa
“Human trafficking is real, and it comes in different colors,” says Glory Matipile, CEO of Baagi Ba South Africa—meaning “The Future of South Africa”—an organization helping victims of human trafficking. “It does not matter what age you are; anyone can be a victim.”
With a child going missing every five hours and the number of people trapped in human trafficking more than doubling in one year in South Africa, Matipile has made it her purpose to teach every person in her country about their human rights. “The reason that human trafficking is so high in South Africa is that our people don’t know their human rights.”
Matipile studied human resources at the University of South Africa, where she realized the high level of unemployment in her country and decided to assist her community members in finding jobs.
She came across the case of a young woman who had been lured by the false promise of a job in Brazil and then used for drug trafficking. Researching further into people arrested for drug trafficking, she found a common link: most were promised jobs in foreign countries and were then used as decoys for the traffickers.
“When they get to a foreign land, the person will be sold, and from there the person will be missing. You can just imagine what kind of South Africa we are going to have 10 years from now.”
Matipile founded Baagi Ba South Africa to protect victims tricked into drug trafficking and child commercial sex, as well as to raise awareness about human trafficking and human rights.
She was contacted by a representative of Youth for Human Rights in South Africa and was impressed with the booklets and online resources provided free of charge. “For me, it was like winning the lottery. This is what I needed to help and impact my community,” she says.
Matipile and her group of volunteers started holding booklet distributions in the community. During the festive season, they focused on reaching youth. As Matipile explains, this is the time of year when most youth go to parties, giving traffickers free rein to spike their drinks, drug them and trap them into sex slavery.
Shares one of Matipile’s volunteers: “What inspires me the most is that there’s a living soul there, lost, waiting for us to reach out with this type of information so that they can change their lives.”
To reach all youth, Matipile and her volunteers deliver lectures in schools to educate children and raise awareness about the dangers of human trafficking. In one year alone, Matipile visited 85 schools, impacting thousands of youth. “I know that no student I have reached will ever be a victim of trafficking,” says Matipile, who has educated over 84,000 people about their human rights. By raising awareness about human trafficking and educating the community about online scams and tricks, people are now more informed. “We have been receiving more than 40 to 50 calls a day from people asking for our help to vet job opportunities,” says Matipile.
She shares the story of a young lady who contacted her regarding a job offer in Australia. It was for a cruise ship job looking for 220 young people ages 19 to 25. They were also offering a free visa but provided no details about the employer. Baagi Ba South Africa informed the police, who issued a red flag on the employment offer, alerting anyone who goes online that the job was not legitimate. Through their actions, Baagi Ba South Africa saved over 700 people from human trafficking.
“My people will no longer be victims of human trafficking,” says Matipile. She credits Youth for Human Rights with helping her reach those most vulnerable.
Find out about Matipile’s full story on scientology.tv/gmatipile.
