Health and Traficking in East and Southern Africa

• Very few health practitioners see women who have been trafficked
• Non-medical experts in the field of trafficking do not generally take into consideration the health consequences of human trafficking
• Most Thai and Mozambique women trafficked to South Africa for prostitution
• HIV rate in 15 brothels with trafficked women varied between 60-80%
• Trafficked Thai women in brothels in South Africa reported that healthcare providers visited and tested them for STI’s, but due to language barriers, they were unable to tell them they were trafficked
• Whenever trafficked Thai women visited healthcare facilities, they were accompanied by an interpreter to prevent them from asking for help
• If a male interpreter is used, victims of TIP are less likely to discuss matters relating to their sexual health
• All service providers interviewed in this study were unsure how to find trafficking victims
• If they did know how to identify these women, they didn’t know how to help them.
• Experience of Ethiopian women trafficked to Middle Eastern Countries
o Majority held in detention centers with minimal healthcare
o Often end up victims of TIP again on return because of lack of jobs
o Most TIP victims are reluctant to identify themselves
• Mozambican women trafficked into South Africa
o Only 20 women have been assisted recently
o More difficult to identify them than Thai women

IOM “Breaking the Cycle of Vulnerability-Responding to the health needs of trafficked women in East and Southern Africa.” Available online at: http://www.iom.int/jahia/Jahia/cache/bypass/pid/8;jsessionid=DBDD486BD4BD2D9ACD1546969EBC1CC9.worker02?entryId=12684