 Internet service providers in South Africa will be obliged to report internet addresses on their servers that are suspected of containing information related to human trafficking, the country’s justice minister said.
This is among the provisions contained in a new bill aimed at curbing
human and child trafficking in the country, BuaNews reported Wednesday.
The Prevention and Combating of Trafficking in Persons Bill, announced
by Justice and Constitutional Development Minister Jeff Radebe in
parliament Tuesday, will give South African courts jurisdiction in
respect of acts committed outsideSouth Africa if those acts would have been an offence under the bill had they been committed in South Africa.
Radebe said the Bill, once it becomes an act of parliament and is fully
operational, will be one of the most comprehensive laws in the fight
againsthuman trafficking in the country.
He rubbished claims that the Bill had been rushed ahead of the 2010 FIFA World Cup which starts in June.
‘This has got nothing to do with the World Cup … it’s been a work in progress
since 2003. Of course 2010 will come with its challenges because of the
World Cup and we have a duty to make sure the country is safe,’ said
Radebe.
Trafficking in persons is said to be a worldwide phenomenon and is one
of the most lucrative criminal enterprises globally. People are
trafficked mainly for sexual exploitation and forced labour. |
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