News / National
'400 Zim children illegally cross into SA weekly' - report
27 Jan 2014 at 20:40hrs | Views
ABOUT 400 Zimbabwean children illegally cross the border into South Africa each week using unofficial checkpoints, an organisation assisting migrant children has revealed, raising fears that most of these children were victims of human trafficking.
According to Save the Children Zimbabwe (SCZ), many of the children willingly migrate to South Africa, often with the assistance of taxi drivers who transport them to the border at Beitbridge or nearby illegal crossings.
Some of the child migrants are then transferred to criminal gangs that subject them to violent attacks, rape, deception and, in some cases, forced prostitution in South Africa.
Zimbabwean children are lured into exploitative labour situations in Botswana, Mozambique and South Africa with false offers of employment in agriculture, construction, information technology and hospitality; some subsequently become victims of forced labour or forced prostitution.
According to Save the Children Zimbabwe, the number of Zimbabwean children who are illegal migrants in South Africa is difficult to establish because of the nature of their migration - they cross far from officially designated entry points to avoid detection.
Depending on the source, there are estimates of between 1,2 and 3,5 million Zimbabweans living legally and illegally in South Africa, but there is no indication of how many are children.
According to Save the Children Zimbabwe (SCZ), many of the children willingly migrate to South Africa, often with the assistance of taxi drivers who transport them to the border at Beitbridge or nearby illegal crossings.
Some of the child migrants are then transferred to criminal gangs that subject them to violent attacks, rape, deception and, in some cases, forced prostitution in South Africa.
Zimbabwean children are lured into exploitative labour situations in Botswana, Mozambique and South Africa with false offers of employment in agriculture, construction, information technology and hospitality; some subsequently become victims of forced labour or forced prostitution.
According to Save the Children Zimbabwe, the number of Zimbabwean children who are illegal migrants in South Africa is difficult to establish because of the nature of their migration - they cross far from officially designated entry points to avoid detection.
Depending on the source, there are estimates of between 1,2 and 3,5 million Zimbabweans living legally and illegally in South Africa, but there is no indication of how many are children.
Source - sundaynews
