Johannesburg — ALTHOUGH the United Nations (UN) protocol to suppress and punish trafficking in persons has been ratified by more than 100 countries, few countries had antitrafficking legislation, making the prosecution of offenders difficult, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) .

SA was being lobbied by the UN to help fight the battle as it was increasingly becoming the traffickers' country of choice. Because of its infrastructure, the syndicates were using SA as a transit point.

The protocol came into force in December 2003. It encourages the prosecution of offenders and promotes international cooperation. Countries have to adopt measures to protect the victims of trafficking and help them return safely to their own or another country.

It also calls for the education of the public about trafficking and its harmful consequences to victims.

Trafficking in persons involves the recruitment and transportation of a person, using either violence or deceit, for the purpose of exploitation such as prostitution or sweatshop labour, which generates illicit income for the trafficker.

"Countries cannot prosecute if they do not have proper legislation dealing with trafficking in persons in place," UNODC southern Africa representative Jonathan Lucas said at the weekend.

Lucas said human trafficking had become big business with the US state department report on Trafficking in Persons stating that about 800000 people were trafficked across national borders and 80% of victims were women.

In Africa, he said, the west African region was the most affected by human trafficking. Most of the victims went to western Europe where they were forced into prostitution or labour.

"In southern Africa, SA is a country of destination for trafficking victims and also serves as a transit point."

Lucas said trafficking was almost always a form of organised crime and because of its clandestine nature, statistics on the magnitude of the problem were understated and unreliable.

Lucas said the UNODC was assisting the states that had ratified the protocol to set up the necessary legislation. Through co-operation with regional bodies, including the Southern African Development Community (SADC), the organisation was providing training for legal drafters, law enforcement officials, prosecutors and the judiciary.

Almost all SADC countries have ratified the protocol, with the exception of Angola, Swaziland and Zimbabwe.

Lucas said increased attention to the trafficking problem would enable effective preventive initiatives such as raising awareness among potential victims and improving law enforcement methods to make a dent in the practice.

Lucas also announced that a three-day conference on the role of religious leaders in fighting human trafficking would be held in Cape Town in October.