Some communities in Lesotho have “informal” or “illegal” borders leading to South Africa. These are areas where the river is narrow or shallow enough for someone to cross through easily, and they act as a primary transport opportunity for human traffickers.
There are many reasons why people avoid official border crossings in favor of informal borders. They may not have a passport or may not feel confident that they can pass a COVID test. For some travelers, the rivers become a gateway for false promises of fortune. Our transit monitoring efforts aim to stop unknowing victims from crossing into a life of forced labor.
Life on the other side of the river
What’s so appealing about crossing the border? The opportunity to make substantial money. At least, that’s what many young girls are promised before they leave Lesotho. They’re told of lucrative jobs where they can make more money than they ever imagined, but the reality is that there is no money waiting for them on the other side.
If we’re able to catch these women before they reach the border, we can protect them from the dangers of sex and labor trafficking. We would never want to block someone from a legitimate opportunity, but we want to protect them from a life of despair.
Leaning on the local community for help
In the communities along the river, some people perform services to help others cross informally or illegally. Beautiful Dream Society has reached out to community members in these towns to raise awareness about the dangers and harms of human trafficking. Our goal is to utilize communal support to prevent human trafficking before it happens.
We are happy to say that our efforts are yielding remarkable results! Community members have now started calling our monitors on the phone to report potential trafficking and asking them to screen for trafficking before they help people illegally cross. Shortly after we employed this new communication strategy, we were able to intercept 27 potential victims of human trafficking in a single month.
Ongoing support from Love Justice International
We are so grateful that this project is 100% underwritten by a grant from the US government through Love Justice International. This organization has helped prevent and resolve human trafficking in nearly 30 countries, and we’re honored to be a part of the mission. Please help us continue this great work by supporting Love Justice International.