Emergency response teams in South Africa are providing support and human trafficking prevention information

Salvation Army provides support for people stranded at South Africa’s borders, Candle of Hope Foundation starts a project with transport actors along Kenya’s transit routes, and APAM urges immediate action to prevent further attacks on persons with albinism in Malawi.

Welcome to the February edition of Freedom Collaborative’s Africa newsletter. We are pleased to share the first regional newsletter of 2021. Our partners across the continent have been preparing for the upcoming year and roll out of new initiatives. We are excited for all that is to come.

We are delighted to share updates from partners in South Africa, Kenya, and Malawi in this month's edition.

The Salvation Army teams have been working at South Africa'sAfrica's border posts, where, due to enhanced border control measures to help minimize the spread of a new, more transmissible strain of COVID-19, travelers have been stranded for several days. Candle of Hope Foundation started a joint project with Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) on a communication strategy for tackling human trafficking along Kenya's transit routes. To coordinate their anti-trafficking activities, 42 participants from Kenya came together for the third annual anti-trafficking civil society organizations (CSOs) coordination meeting.

In Malawi, the Association of Persons with Albinism in Malawi (APAM) issued a statement on the recent increase of human rights violations against persons living with albinism and called upon the president for immediate action.

Thank you to all our partners for your continued support and partnership. A special thank you to the organizations contributing their updates this month. Please keep sharing your news with us via our Facebook group or by email to share them with the wider anti-trafficking community in the region and beyond.

Salvation Army Works with South African Government to Support People Affected by COVID-19 Border Delays

Salvation Army teams – each consisting of 11 people with specially-provided personal protective equipment – have been working at the border posts connecting South Africa with Zimbabwe (Beitbridge), Mozambique (Lebombo), eSwatini (Oshoek) and Lesotho (Maseru Bridge). At each location, people trying to cross the border have been delayed by up to six days in extreme heat, resulting in dehydration, heat exhaustion, malnutrition and significant stress. In some instances, queues of trucks waiting to convey goods across the border have stretched back for more than 15 kilometres. The Salvation Army’s territorial leaders for Southern Africa, Colonels Daniel and Tracey Kasuso, have formed part of the team on the Zimbabwean border.

Health information is being distributed in each location, along with packs containing snacks and hygiene items. Each traveller – up to 800 in each distribution – is given 1.5 litres of bottled water, long-life milk, bread, energy bars, fruit and sweet treats, as well as a bar of soap, a wash cloth and hand sanitiser. A new public health poster campaign, developed at The Salvation Army’s International Headquarters in London, is being translated into Afrikaans, Xhosa, Zulu and other southern African languages.

Mindful of the elevated risk of human trafficking across country borders in such challenging times, The Salvation Army is providing leaflets to drivers and passengers containing information on how to be alert to the risks and reduce the likelihood of susceptibility.

‘In the hot conditions, it is exhausting,’ says Major Heather Rossouw, Territorial Emergency Services Director for The Salvation Army in Southern Africa, ‘but because of the needs that are presenting themselves at the border, we immediately felt the need to provide relief at these border posts. We hope that The Salvation Army, in coordination with the Government of South Africa as well as other organisations, can contribute to defeat COVID-19 in our country and meet the needs of people who are impacted by it.’

The emergency response is set to carry on, particularly at the eSwatini and Lesotho borders, as regulations continue to be subject to change. The Salvation Army is coordinating with South African government agencies including the Departments of Health, Social Development, Home Affairs and the Border Control Police, as well as CoRMSA (Consortium for Refugees and Migrants in South Africa) and several other non-governmental organisations such as Gift of the Givers.

Candle of Hope Foundation launches anti-trafficking project with transport actors along Kenya’s transit routes

In January, the Candle of Hope Foundation (COHF) began implementing a project on a communication strategy tackling human trafficking along transit routes.

In partnership with Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), their communication strategy has been designed to address issues on human trafficking in the local public transport sector (commonly known as Matatu) in Nairobi and Mombasa.

The project targets Matatu operators and young people to educate them on the nature and risks of human trafficking. The activities will also involve engaging the travelers. By speaking with them about human trafficking and irregular migration, CoFH is gaining insights into the current public knowledge and experiences of human trafficking to be used for future campaigns and interventions.

Read more in COHF’s monthly newsletter.

Kenya Anti-Trafficking CSOs MEET To identify synergies between THeir ACtivities for 2021

The third annual anti-trafficking civil society organizations (CSOs) coordination meeting took place virtually at the end of January. The workshop by Stop the Traffik - Kenya (STTK) and the Better Migration Management Programme (BMM), implemented by GIZ, brought together 42 participants. Participants included 32 civil society and ten government representatives.

During the Activity Planning session, CSOs shared a brief overview of their upcoming activities to identify cooperation areas. The participants’ main priority is building strong partnerships across all action groups for Prevention, Protection, and Prosecution.

All participants received an update on the Universal Periodic Review and the joint Kenyan CSOs' anti-trafficking recommendation progress. The UPR is a unique process that involves a periodic review of all 193 UN Member States' human rights records. Kenya was reviewed on 23rd January 2020 and adopted 263 recommendations. Following the official review session, KNCHR and the Kenyan CSOs met in Mombasa and drafted an Implementation Plan and a Human Rights Score Card. Currently, the United Nations Human Rights Council, the Office of the Attorney General and the Department of Justice work on the 3rd cycle UPR Implementation Plan. At the Annual Human Rights Conference in December 2021, CSOs, GoK stakeholders, and other partners will evaluate their performance, successes, challenges, and next steps.

From rhetoric to action: Demand for justice for persons with albinism in Malawi

The Association Of Persons with Albinism in Malawi (APAM) is appalled by the resurgence of severe human rights violations targeting persons with albinism (PWAs) due to harmful cultural practices and witchcraft beliefs. APAM unequivocally condemns and rebukes in the strongest terms the spate of attacks on persons with albinism.

While APAM commends the Malawi Police Services (MPS) for their quick response to recent cases, PWAs are shocked by the Malawi Govemment's laissez-faire attitude in addressing concerns of PWAs. In addition to a general atmosphere of fear that is pervasive in all aspects of the lives of PWAs, they also face challenges and hurdles in accessing essential services such as health, education, and justice. The Malawi government has not made significant efforts to tailor services to the unique needs of PWAs.

APAM issued a statement calling the government of Malawi to act with urgency and end their silence on issues surrounding persons with albinism.