Here are a few things you can do to make sure you don't become a victim of labour trafficking when you plan to apply for a job abroad:

+  Confirm that the organisation offering the job is licensed.

+  Have a working visa — tourist and other types of visas do not allow you to work abroad.

+  The work contract should always be bilingual — in a language you speak fluently, as well as in the official language of the country where you plan to work.

+  Never sign a contract written in a language you don't know well. Check the contract carefully for all the details about the working conditions. Don't sign a contract that has unclear or really general statements.

+  Keep contact details with you of the organization that handles foreign national issues, as well as the embassy/consulate in the country you are going to.

+  Give your family/friends detailed information on where you are going and staying, as well as a recent photo of you and the people you are travelling with.

+  Prepare all documents you will need and make copies.

+  Never give your ID to anyone. Always carry it with you.

+  Set an emergency signal with your relatives/friends, which you can use in case of emergencies.

+  Keep a small amount of money with you at all times incase of emergencies.

+  Learn some phrases in the language of the country you are visiting. Make sure you know how to ask for directions, and where to find the closest hospital or police station.

Travels are usually a source of positive emotions, especially when you are going on vacation, but at the same time it is a risky situation because you leave your home and go to a foreign territory with people you don’t know. Often, because of this vulnerability, travellers become victim of crimes, and sometimes trafficking.

+  Always keep contacts of organizations that handle foreign nationals issues, as well as the Embassy/Consulate within the country you are visiting.

+  Provide your family/friends with:

• Detailed information on your travel itinerary.
• Copies of your travelling documents and passport.
• Recent photo of yourself and the people you are travelling with.

+  Set an emergency signal with your relatives/friends, which you can use in case of emergencies.

+  Prepare all documents you will need and make copies.

+  Never give your ID to anyone. Always carry it with you.

+  Be careful and keep your eyes open for suspicious activities near you. Inform your relatives/friends in case you see or hear something.

+  Keep a small amount of money with you at all times in case of emergencies.

+  Learn some phrases in the language of the country you are visiting. Make sure you know how to ask for directions, and know where to find the closest hospital or police station. Memorize the telephone number of at least one relative/friend.

+  Make sure you know the emergency code in the country.

+  Be careful and cautious when talking to strangers. Never share your whole name or where you are staying. If you think someone is following you, immediately head to a more populated area and don’t hesitate to call the police.

+  Avoid:

• Travelling alone, at night or in dark alleys.
• Getting into cars with people you don’t know.
• Accepting food or drinks from people you don’t know.
• Risky situations.

Very often, traffickers find their victims on the internet. Because everyone is free to create his/her profile, the identity of the users and the credibility of the information they publish is rarely guaranteed. Children and teenagers are specifically in danger of becoming victims of trafficking over the internet, since they are more vulnerable and less experienced. This is why we prepared a list of good advice for safe online activity:

+  If you decide to go on a date with someone you met online, remember that this is a high-risk situation, so you need to take some precautions. This might mean meeting with the person at daylight in a busy, central place, where nobody can abduct or hurt you. If the other person wants to meet in an apartment, at a dark or secluded place, or a park, this is a red flag that the person might be very dangerous.

+  When meeting someone off the internet, tell a friend, a relative, a colleague or someone who you can trust. It’s a good idea to have a safety plan in mind in case something goes wrong - for example, have the one you trust call you and come up with a code word if you need him/her to come pick you up (or insinuate that you have to leave right away).

+  Never give your personal ID, address, phone number, name, address of your school/university, or information about your relatives and family members to strangers or people you met online and don’t know very well.

+  Do not open messages with vulgar, inappropriate, dangerous or insulting content. Block users who send messages like these.

+  Never send pictures to people you just met online. Restrict the visibility options of your photos and the information you publish online to only close friends.

Call 0800 222 777 to speak with a Call Specialist who can answer any specific questions you might have.

– Evidence of being controlled: the person is accompanied by a controlling person, and does not speak on their own behalf. The person is transported to or from work; lives and works at the same place and is rarely allowed in public.

– Lack of control over personal schedule: the person is not able to move freely or leave a job. For example a woman who works 24/7, sees an unusual number of clients and has no time for herself.

– Lack of control over money: the person is not able to keep the money earned. It is “withheld for safe-keeping”. Most of the time the person owes debts to the employer.

– The person recently arrived in the country: they often don't speak the language, or only knows words related to their work.

– Fear, depression and overly submissive behaviour: the person is frightened to talk to outsiders and authorities as a result of threats.

– Poor health: Malnutrition or serious medical or dental problems. Sexually transmitted diseases, HIV/AIDS, pelvic pain and traumas, urinary difficulties, pregnancy resulting from rape and prostitution, infertility from chronic untreated STDs and unsafe abortions.

– Bruises, scars and other signs of physical abuse and torture: although, sex trafficked victims are often beaten in areas that won't damage their appearance, like their lower back.

– Substance abuse problems or addictions: the person is often coerced into drug use by his/her traffickers or turn to substance abuse to help cope with his/her dreadful situation.

– What type of work do you do?

– Are you getting paid to do your job? Do you actually receive payment or is your money being held for you?

– Can you come and go as you please? Are you supervised when you are in public places?

– How do you feel about the police?

– Have you been threatened if you try to leave? Have you or your family been threatened?

– Have you been physically harmed in anyway?

– Have you ever been deprived of food, water, sleep or medical care?

– Do you have to ask permission to eat, sleep or go to the bathroom?

– Are you physically restrained in any way? Are there locks or doors preventing you from leaving?

– Has your identification or documentation been taken from you?

– Is anyone forcing you to do anything that you do not want to do?

Learn More about Job Safety ▸

– Many victims have a strong sense of distrust, and often do not speak the language of the country.

– Before questioning a person who may be a victim, try to separate the person from the individual accompanying her/ him, even if they are their spouse or family member. This individual could be the trafficker or controller.

– Evidence of possible "Stockholm" syndrome, where victims over time, become sympathetic to their captors.

In the case of child trafficking:

LOOK FOR:

– Child who does not trust adults.

– Child who is afraid of being deported by authorities.

– Child who seems to act inappropriately towards male adults.

– Child who has a cell phone despite a lack of other basic belongings.

– Child who travels alone or with a group of children accompanied by one adult who seems to guard them.

ASK QUESTIONS, making sure that the child is approached in a manner that reflects his/her age, development, culture, and language.

– Why did you come to (country’s name)?

– Do you have any papers? Who has them?

– Are you in school? Are you working? Can you leave if you want?

– Where do you live? Who else lives there? Are you scared to leave?

– Has anybody ever threatened you or your family, to keep you from running away?

Through our partner referral database the hotline helps connect callers to human trafficking service providers.

The hotline provides access to emergency, transitional, and long-term social services for victims and survivors of human trafficking. Examples of service referrals include case management, shelter, transportation, legal services, mental health and counseling services, and much more.

We offer training and technical assistance to law enforcement, medical professionals, airport staff, government agencies and other practitioners. Alternatively, we refer to government departments or organisations in your province. Through partnerships we aim to strengthen local and national structures and protocols to improve the nationwide response to human trafficking as a united front.

Call Specialists are available 24/7 to take reports of potential human trafficking. All reports are confidential and you may remain anonymous.

Our Call Specialists provide assistance to victims in crisis through safety planning, emotional support and/or immediate connections to emergency services through our network of trained service provider and law enforcement partners.

Download the informational flyer ▸

We offer a Job vetting service, so that potential human trafficking situations could be prevented. The service is free of charge. We have well-trained specialists, who check whether the company or agency that offers the job is in the official registers and in our Hotline’s database. We do research about the employer by their names, mobile numbers or by any other information we have. We look for opinions from ex-workers in online forums and in social media. At the end of each Job vetting, we make a risk assessment to evaluate whether the job offer is potentially risky.

Based on this assessment, which comprises objective and detailed research on the company data, we make a formal statement on whether it is or not risky to accept the job offer.

ANYONE

Past callers have included:

– Victims of human trafficking

– Social service providers

– Medical professionals

– Government employees

– Educators and students

– Anyone who comes into contact with a potential victim

– Friends and family members of victims

– Law enforcement

– Legal professionals

– Public prosecutors, lawyers, judges

– Community members

The South African National Human Trafficking Hotline is available to answer all urgent calls from anywhere in the country, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, every day of the year. For informational calls please call within general office hours.

Yes. The caller can choose to stay anonymous, in compliance with the South African National Human Trafficking Hotline’s Confidentiality Policy. The NHTH strives to abide by the highest ethical standards. Calls received by the NHTH are anonymous unless the caller chooses to provide the NHTH with his or her name and contact information and authorizes its use. This information is not given to law enforcement, other individuals, or other agencies without prior consent. In limited circumstances, we may be required to inform certain authorities if we suspect child abuse, have reason to believe the caller may harm his/her self or others, or if we are required by law. In other circumstances, where a caller prefers to remain anonymous, his/her privacy will be protected while the information they have conveyed about a situation of human trafficking will be shared with appropriate authorities.

After receiving a tip, the National Human Trafficking Hotline team jointly conducts a thorough internal review process to determine appropriate next steps. Crisis calls and urgent tips receive immediate follow-up. Before reporting, the NHTH will consider the needs and stated preferences of the caller as a primary consideration.

Additional considerations include: the specificity of the information provided, the presence of indicators of severe forms of trafficking in persons, the involvement of minors, and the anti-trafficking services and law enforcement available in the caller’s area. The preferences, when known, of the potential victims involved will also be taken as a primary consideration.

Follow-up may involve any of the following actions:

An additional call to the caller to confirm the accuracy of information (with the caller’s consent); Provision of materials and/or referrals to organisations in the caller’s area serving trafficking victims; A report to a local anti-trafficking organisation, service provider, or law enforcement.

The NHTH is equipped to handle calls in all languages. The NHTH has English operators. The NHTH is also able to connect to a tele-interpreting service with access to 186 languages, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week through a tele-interpreting service.

The NHTH is a nationally-focused line in South Africa. However we do receive international tips and can process them in a limited capacity. When available, the NHTH can provide referrals to South African-based and international organizations that handle international trafficking tips and inquiries. In some cases, the NHTH may report the tips directly to international law enforcement agencies. For international tips about situations of human trafficking occurring in South Africa, please call us at: 0800 222 777.

If you or someone you know has information on a potential trafficking situation, call us at 0800 222 777. Call us for materials and resources to generate awareness in your community. Help us publicize 0800 222 777 by posting the number in your community or organisation.

To add your organisation to our database, call the hotline at 0800 222 777 and tell us about the services you provide and the populations you serve. The NHTH is looking for organisations that provide a variety of services and resources to assist trafficking victims, including the following:

– Shelter

– Immigration Assistance

– Counseling

– Awareness Initiatives

– Job Opportunities

– Legal Assistance

– Transportation Assistance

– Referrals

– Training/Education