Critical analysis of the SADC legal and policy framework for combating corruption in trafficking in persons

Abstract

The fight against human trafficking requires a broad range of approaches, including the eradication of crimes that facilitate trafficking of human beings. The idea of committing crimes within crimes is common in most national regimes just as it is in transnational and organised crimes. For instance, transnational crimes such as money laundering and human trafficking always are accompanied by various types of corruption such as petty, grand or bureaucratic corruption. As the Southern African Development Community (SADC) States Parties strengthen strategies to address human trafficking, the region continues to face an increase of trafficking of persons into Europe and Asia, as well as within Africa. There are various causes of human trafficking, such as poverty, hunger and deteriorating economies, as victims are promised luxurious lives in the countries to which they are trafficked. The poverty and stunted economies in most African countries make it easy for corruption to flourish because most police and immigration officers occupy low-paying ranks, making them highly susceptible to bribery and other corrupt incentives.