Abstract
This chapter explores the critical role of teacher education in addressing human trafficking, a significant social justice challenge in South Africa. An overview of the multifaceted nature of trafficking is provided, and its historical roots, current manifestations, and challenges involved in recognising it are addressed. The importance of understanding trafficking through the lived experiences and stories of victims is emphasised. After the intersections between trafficking and social justice are discussed, I provided three possibilities of how teacher education can respond to trafficking as a social justice concern. Firstly, teacher education can be guided by the 4P-Paradigm of Prevention, Protection, Prosecution, and Partnership to respond to trafficking. Secondly, by examining the Minimum Requirements for Teacher Education Qualifications (MRTEQ), the chapter suggests practical ways to incorporate knowledge of trafficking into disciplinary and situational learning within teacher training programmes. Thirdly, a holistic approach can be taken to include teaching about trafficking within the broader context of social justice education, preparing student teachers to become proactive agents of change in combating trafficking. The chapter concludes by stressing the need for empirical research to deepen the understanding of how teacher education can respond to trafficking and enhance teacher preparedness, aiming to create a more informed, empathetic, and proactive teaching community in the fight against trafficking.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Notes
- 1.
I start this chapter with a story of a trafficking survivor. She was one of the participants in my PhD study (Visser, 2018).
- 2.
Victim(s) means “individuals who are actively under the control of the trafficker”, and survivor(s) means “individuals who are no longer being exploited” (Marburger & Pickover, 2020, p.14).
References
Abdulkareem, K., Ehiane, S. O., & Nnamezie, N. I. S. (2021). Reflecting on the trend of child labour in South Africa. African Journal of Democracy and Governance, 8(12), 63–79.
Adebayo, Z. (2018, March 7). Trickery and escape: Stories of South African human trafficking survivors. Borgen Magazine. https://www.borgenmagazine.com/human-trafficking-survivors/
Albanese, J. S., Broad, R., & Gadd, D. (2022). Consent, coercion, and fraud in human trafficking relationships. Journal of Human Trafficking, 8(1), 13–32.
Asongu, S. A., & Usman, U. M. (2020). The COVID-19 pandemic: Theoretical and practical perspectives on children, women and sex trafficking. Health Care for Women International, 41(11–12), 1384–1397.
Ayers, W. C. (2000). Social justice. In C. Kridel (Ed.), Encyclopedia of curriculum studies (pp. 791–792). SAGE.
Bales, K. (2005). Understanding global slavery: A reader. University of California Press.
Barner, J. R., Okech, D., & Camp, M. A. (2017). “One size does not fit all:” A proposed ecological model for human trafficking intervention. Journal of Evidence-Informed Social Work, 15(2), 137–150.
Bermudez, L. G. (2008). “No experience necessary”: The internal trafficking of persons in South Africa. International Organization for Migration.
Boronski, T., & Hassan, N. (2020). Sociology of education (2nd ed.). Sage.
Buchanan, A., & Mathieu, D. (1986). Philosophy and justice. In R. L. Cohen (Ed.), Justice: Views from the social sciences (pp. 11–46). Springer Science + Business Media, LLC.
Cockbain, E., & Bowers, K. (2019). Human trafficking for sex, labour and domestic servitude: How do key trafficking types compare and what are their predictors? Crime, Law and Social Change, 72, 9–34.
Cohen, R. L. (1986). Introduction. In R. L. Cohen (Ed.), Justice: Views from the social sciences (pp. 1–10). Springer Science + Business Media, LLC.
Conteh, M. (2009). Child trafficking, child prostitution and the potential dangers of the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. In O. C. Ruppel (Ed.), Children’s rights in Namibia (pp. 375–390). Macmillan Education Namibia.
Davidson, J. O. (2013). Telling tales: Child migration and child trafficking. Child Abuse and Neglect, 37, 1069–1079.
Department of Higher Education and Training (South Africa). (2011, July 15). National Qualification Framework Act, 2008 (Act no. 67 of 2008): Policy on the minimum requirements for teacher education qualifications (Notice 583). Government Gazette, 34467, pp. 3–62.
Department of State (United States of America). (2015). Trafficking in persons report. https://2009-2017.state.gov/documents/organization/245365.pdf
Dinah, M. M. (2012). How is Child Trafficking Addressed in South African Schools’ Policies?, Journal of Social Sciences, 30(1), 65–70, https://doi.org/10.1080/09718923.2012.11892983.
Du Preez, P., & Simmonds, S. (2013). Trafficking as a human rights violation: Is South Africa’s curriculum stuck in a traffick jam? Journal of Curriculum and Teaching, 2(2), 102–111.
Duignan, B. (2022). Social justice. In Britannica Academic. https://academic-eb-com.nwulib.idm.oclc.org/levels/collegiate/article/social-justice/601034
Eidson, K. (2016). Human trafficking: Focusing the preservice classroom on social justice. In L. Nganga & J. Kambutu (Eds.), Social justice education, globalization and teacher education. Information Age Publishing.
Fernández, A., & Galindo, V. B. (2021). Adult education for African victims of human trafficking. In Oxford research encyclopedia of education. https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780190264093.013.812
International Labour Organization. (2017). Global Estimates of Child Labour. ILO.
Jackson, B. (2005). The conceptual history of social justice. Political Studies Review, 3, 356–373.
Jaffe, G., Sullivan, M. E., Angela-Rocha, M., Cafaro, C., Crisp, J. D., & Merriweather, T. (2022). Rethinking primary prevention of child trafficking: recommendations from the human trafficking task force of the global alliance for behavioral health and social justice. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 92(5), 616–621.
Karenga, P. V. I. S. (2022). A West African model to address human trafficking. Springer.
Krushas, A. E., & Kulig, T. C. (2023). Exploring the physical, mental, and social health issues of sex trafficking victims by stage of exploitation. Victims & Offenders, 18(3), 447–472.
Lemke, M. (2019). Educators as the “frontline” of human-trafficking prevention: An analysis of state-level educational policy. Leadership and Policy in Schools, 18(3), 284–304.
Lesabe, I. B. (2018). Township high school learners’ perceptions of child trafficking: Implications for curriculum making. (Unpublished master’s dissertation). https://repository.nwu.ac.za/handle/10394/31456
Lombard, A. (2015). Global agenda for social work and social development: A path toward sustainable social work. Social Work, 51(4), 482–499.
Lusk, M., & Lucas, F. (2009). The challenge of human trafficking and contemporary slavery. Journal of Comparative Social Welfare, 25(1), 49–57.
Maloney, C. J. (2015). Sociology of human trafficking. In M. J. Palmiotto (Ed.), Combating human trafficking: A multidisciplinary approach (pp. 27–45). CRC Press Taylor & Francis Group.
Marburger, K., & Pickover, S. (2020). A comprehensive perspective on treating victims of human trafficking. The Professional Counselor, 10(1), 13–24.
Martin, C. (2021). Justice and education. In Oxford research encyclopedia of education. doi:https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780190264093.013.1607.
Montgomery, H. (2014). Child prostitution as filial duty? The morality of child-rearing in a slum community in Thailand. Journal of Moral Education, 43(2), 169–182.
Mtshali, V. (2014). Forced child marriage practised under the pretext of customary marriage in South Africa. Child Abuse Research: A South African Journal, 15(2), 51–61.
Muwoki, K. (2017). A sco** research report for stronger together South Africa: Forced labour and the South African fruit and wine industries. https://www.stronger2gether.org/product/sco**-research-report-for-stronger-together-south-africa-forced-labour-and-the-south-african-fruit-and-wine-industries/
National Freedom Network. (2023). Counter-human trafficking resource library: Books. https://nfnresources.yolasite.com/books.php
News24. (2014). I survived human trafficking in Johannesburg. https://youtu.be/Wme42zzvJzY
Nganga, L. (2016). Theoretical foundations of global and social justice education: An introduction. In L. Nganga & J. Kambutu (Eds.), Social justice education, globalization and teacher education (pp. 1–6). Information Age Publishing.
O’Brien, E. (2018). Challenging the human trafficking narrative: Victims, villains and heroes. Taylor and Francis.
Olomojobi, Y., & Agbetoba, A. O. (2020). The abyss of baby factories in Nigeria. Women and Criminal Justice, 30, 220–242.
Palacios, S. P. I., & Yamamoto, Y. (2017). Trafficking in US agriculture. Antipode, 49(5), 1306–1328.
Pearce, J. J. (2009). Young people and sexual exploitation: ‘It’s not hidden, you just aren’t looking’. Routledge.
Petrunov, G. (2014). Human trafficking in Eastern Europe: The case of Bulgaria. Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 653(1), 162–182.
Polaris. (2023). Survivor stories. https://polarisproject.org/survivor-stories/
Preston, L., Vos, D., De Beer, L., & Van der Merwe, W. (2019). Hel** hands: A teacher’s guide to reporting abuse. Keurkopié.
Prevention and Combating of Trafficking in Persons Act 7 of 2013.
Rawls, J. (1971). A theory of justice. Harvard University Press.
Reeve, A. (2018). Social justice. In A concise Oxford dictionary of politics and international relations. Retrieved May 29, 2023, from https://www-oxfordreference-com.nwulib.idm.oclc.org/view/10.1093/acref/9780199670840.001.0001/acref-9780199670840-e-1269
Scott, J. (2014). Justice, social. In A dictionary of sociology. Retrieved May 16, 2023, from https://www-oxfordreference-com.nwulib.idm.oclc.org/view/10.1093/acref/9780199683581.001.0001/acref-9780199683581-e-1196
Shelley, L. (2010). Human trafficking: A global perspective. Cambridge University Press.
Sobuwa, Y. (2019). Trafficking victim bares all in book. https://www.sowetanlive.co.za/news/2019-04-01-trafficking-victim-bares-all-in-book/.
Soft White Underbelly. (2023). Sex trafficking survivor interview-Victoria. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5DPNo97OkDY&ab_channel=SoftWhiteUnderbelly.
Soudien, C., & Chisholm, L. (2021). A re-examination of key curriculum debates and directions in South Africa. In Oxford research encyclopedia of education. https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780190264093.013.1142
South Africa. (2013). Prevention and Combatting of Trafficking in Persons Act 7 of 2013.
Stammers, T. (2022). Organ trafficking: Why do healthcare workers engage in it? Cambridge Quarterly of Healthcare Ethics, 31(3), 368–378.
United Nations General Assembly. (2000). Protocol to prevent, suppress and punish trafficking in persons, especially women and children. https://www.ohchr.org/en/instruments-mechanisms/instruments/protocol-prevent-suppress-and-punish-trafficking-persons.
United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. (2020). Global report on trafficking in persons. United Nations.
United States Agency for International Development. (2023). Counter-trafficking in persons field guide. https://www.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/2023-02/C-TIP-Field-Guide-Jan-2023.pdf
United States Department of Education. (2021). Addressing human trafficking in America’s schools: staff development series. https://safesupportivelearning.ed.gov/addressing-human-trafficking-americas-schools-staff-development-series.
United States Department of State. (2023). Trafficking in persons report: South Africa. https://www.state.gov/reports/2023-trafficking-in-persons-report/south-africa
Van der Watt, M. (2022). Research into the nature and scope of trafficking in persons in South Africa: Prevalence Insights from the Criminal Justice System and Relevant Reporting Mechanisms. https://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/PA00ZGPC.pdf
Van der Westhuizen, A. (2015). Co-map** the maze: A complex systems view of human trafficking in the Eastern Cape. http://vital.seals.ac.za:8080/vital/access/manager/PdfViewer/vital:30523/SOURCE1?viewPdfInternal=1
Van Rij, J. J. M. (2023). Towards a new human trafficking strategy: Proactivity at the heart of the Ps Paradigm. International Journal of Criminology and Sociology, 12, 151–165.
Verhoef, A. H., & Visser, A. (2020). Reconsidering freedom: Survivors of sex trafficking and Paul Ricoeur’s relational notion of freedom. South African Journal of Philosophy, 39(1), 22–34.
Visser, A. (2018). Narratives of child trafficking survivors in rehabilitation: Conceptualisations of freedom for human rights education (Doctoral thesis). https://repository.nwu.ac.za/handle/10394/28066
Visser, A. (2021). Child labour is a matter of national concern: What is the curriculum doing about it? Journal of Education, 85, 29–54.
Visser, A., & Simmonds, S. (2022). Understanding trafficking in persons as a human rights education problem. In E. Serfontein, C. C. Wolhuter, & S. Naidoo (Eds.), Scholarship of education and human rights in diversity: Engaging discourses from the South (pp. 169–185). Aosis.
Zhu, T., Crenshaw, C., & Scott, L. M. (2020). Curriculum in action: Teaching students to combat human trafficking. Education and Urban Society, 52(9), 1351–1371.
Žižek, S. (2005). Against human rights. New Left Review, 34, 115–131.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2024 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Visser, A. (2024). Teacher Education: Preparing Student Teachers to Combat Trafficking in Persons. In: Ramrathan, L., Maistry, S., Blignaut, S. (eds) Critical Reflections on Teacher Education in South Africa. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-58090-1_6
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-58090-1_6
Published:
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-031-58089-5
Online ISBN: 978-3-031-58090-1
eBook Packages: EducationEducation (R0)