Poverty and injustice

You have a voice … use it to amplify the voices of the poor and marginalized in South Africa. Join us in tackling the underlying causes of poverty, injustice, and human suffering. Motivated by our faith, our goal is to help build a better world for millions of children and communities in desperate need.

Global campaign to end preventable child deaths: Child Health Now

We’re facing a silent disaster. One that’s bigger than any natural disaster the world has ever faced.

More than 24,000 children under age 5 will die today of preventable causes including malaria, HIV and AIDS, pneumonia, diarrhea, measles, and complications during pregnancy and after birth.

Proven, simple and low-cost solutions to these child killers already exist. Yet they are not rolled out where they’re most needed, condemning children to die needlessly.

The moment is now. It’s time to let our voices be heard: to cut the number of children under five who die by two-thirds by 2015. (This is the fourth Millennium Development Goal.)

Together we can end preventable deaths. Together we can bring about Child Health Now. Pray for children who are vulnerable to these diseases. Pray that South Africa will act and save the lives of our children.

Human trafficking

Trafficking in persons is the use of fraud, force, or coercion to exploit a person for profit. That person can be exploited in his or her own home, within his or her community, or in a country half way around the world. Human trafficking, especially trafficking of children, is essentially a modern slave trade.

Human trafficking does not necessarily involve movement. Human trafficking and human smuggling are not the same. Trafficking takes on many guises and occurs within countries and across borders. Some examples include:

Children abducted to fight as child soldiers;

One person sold to another to serve as a slave or bonded laborer;

Impoverished girls from rural areas sold or stolen away from their families to serve as sex slaves in brothels.

How prevalent is this problem?

While there are varying estimates as to the number of persons affected by trafficking (estimates range from 12 million to more than 30 million), what is known is that there are now more slaves in the world today than during all three centuries of the Trans-Atlantic slave trade combined.

Furthermore, 50 percent of all trafficking victims are children. Every year, 1.2 million children are trafficked for child labor. Another 1 million children are annually trafficked into the global sex trade.

Who are the most vulnerable?

Women and children make up more than 80 percent of all transnational trafficking cases. There are many reasons for the increased vulnerability of women and children. Poverty is a primary factor. In times of economic hardship, children are often viewed as either a financial burden or a source of income.

Culture plays a considerable role as well. In many cultures, women and girls are considered less valuable than men or boys. Boys are often sent to school first, leaving the girls to earn money for their families. Youngest daughters are often expected to care for their parents and thus are vulnerable to offers of employment that often lead to exploitation.

Where does it occur?

Trafficking in persons knows no boundaries. It occurs in every country in the world, including South Africa.

What are the causes?

Poverty and unemployment

Drug and alcohol abuse

Corruption

Expansion of organized crime

Low status of girls in many countries

Illiteracy and lack of education

Inadequate or non-enforced laws

Lack of political will to end the practice

What is the impact on children and the most vulnerable?

Death

Long-lasting physical, social, spiritual, and psychological damage

Disease (including HIV)

Violence and abuse

Drug addiction

Unwanted pregnancy and forced abortions

Malnutrition

Social ostracism

How is World Vision responding?

World Vision’s response strategy encompasses what is known as “The Three Ps” – prevention, protection, and prosecution. However, World Vision’s advocacy strategy is the fourth “P” — policy. In the effort to end human trafficking, all “Four Ps” must work in concert so that the prevention of trafficking, protection of victims, and the prosecution of traffickers is tied together by effective policy.

Get involved

Pray for those working to assist children and other vulnerable individuals who have been trafficked. Pray for a transformation of the perpetrators of this crime. Pray for protection and healing for those who have been exploited through trafficking.