Human Trafficking never be tolerated

Human Trafficking never be tolerated

As the start of the annual 16 Days against Gender Violence Campaign draws nearer, the DA welcomes the landmark sentence in the human trafficking case against wealthy White River businessman, Lloyd Mabuza and his co-accused Violet Chauke.

Lloyd Mabuza and Violet Chauke, were sentenced to eight life-terms for the trafficking and rape of five minors. The Mozambican girls, aged between 10 and 16, were smuggled into the country under false promises of education and a better life, and held captive as Mabuza’s sex slaves in a remote lumberjack village for three years.

The hefty sentence believed to be the heaviest sentence ever handed down for human trafficking in South Africa and serves to affirm that that gender-based violence is a human rights violation and it not be tolerated and that such actions must be condemned by the whole of society.

Even though the sentence will never take away the trauma experienced by the girls, the DA is pleased that the justice system is taking a firm stance against the scourge of child trafficking in South Africa.

The reality faced by women and children is dire. A woman raped every sixty seconds, with the perpetrator often known to the victim. To this end, the DA Women’s Network (DAWN) will be leading the DA’s support of the 16 days of activism campaign. Our theme this year is “Blow the whistle on abuse”

The sentencing of Mabuza and his co-accused sends out a strong message that trafficking and gender-based violence no longer tolerated and that such actions will not go unpunished.