Sometimes you read stories that really make you worry about humanity, and you can toss this one right into the mix.

Last month the Hawks managed to uncover a human trafficking sex ring in Pretoria, three Nigerian nationals now facing life imprisonment, a R100 million fine or both.

During the raid the hawks found 10 women being kept as sex slaves, with this below from TimesLive:

The three suspects were charged for contravening the Prevention and Combating of Trafficking in Persons Act, South Africa’s main legislative weapon against human trafficking.

They also face charges including rape, drug-dealing, possession of drugs and theft of a motor vehicle. The suspects were arrested in a flat in Arcadia after an investigation by the Hawks.

Hawks spokesman Lieutenant- Colonel Robert Netshiunda said the operation also found 10 women in the flat.

“The women were being used for sex. Some of them told us they have been exploited for five years, some 10 years. One of them told us she has been doing it for 13 years, and she is only 25. ”

Netshiunda said the women were used for entertaining the syndicate’s guests.

“Those guys fed them drugs so that they can continue doing those things to them,” he said.

Like I said, one fears for humanity.

It turns out we’re something of a central hub for sex trafficking, operating as ‘a source, transit region and destination country for men, women, and children’ who are forced into labour and sex trafficking.

An American state department report on worldwide human trafficking released in June says Nigerian syndicates operate in several provinces around the country, but we’re still not aware of the full scope of the problem:

Rene Hanekom of A21, a human-trafficking monitoring and prevention NGO, said the recorded numbers of victims did not reflect the reality of the situation.

“Those victims assisted by safe houses accredited by the Department of Social Development do not include victims who were not assisted by safe houses, or assisted in non-accredited shelters,” Hanekom said.

Embrace Dignity director Nozizwe Madlala-Routledge said: “There are no reliable statistics about the extent of human trafficking in South Africa.

“Estimates indicate this is a fast-growing problem. With the passing of trafficking legislation, it is hoped that South Africa will begin to keep accurate records.”

A truly scary thought.

[source:timeslive]