afrol News, 10 October - In a bid to raise awareness against human trafficking, South African musicians will stage a concert in Newtown, Johannesburg tomorrow, to help eradicate this heinous crime.

Human Trafficking Awareness Concert will be a free open-air event rounding up a series of activities as part of country's annual Human Trafficking Awareness Week, which kicked off on 5 October.

Exciting performances are expected from local artists such as MXO, Peggy, Sliq Angel, Wax and Ras, while top DJs such as Naked and Hudson will spin decks for audience.

The weeklong event this year is said to have seen participation of civil society, religious bodies, government departments and international organisations engaging in several activities such as workshops, media campaigns and exhibitions to raise awareness of crime nationwide.

METRO FM, South Africa's largest urban radio station, has reportedly been instrumental in week, partnering with IOM to produce and air Public Service Announcements (PSAs) that encourage people to find out more about human trafficking and report suspected cases.

"Children and women are most vulnerable to this heinous crime," says Metro FM Station Manager, Matona Sakupwanya.

Mr Sakupwanya was also quoted as saying, "METRO FM has partnered with IOM in order to demystify human trafficking and enable our listeners to understand problem, decrease their vulnerability, and prevent it from spreading."

One of key contributors to the Week, Malebo Kotu-Rammopo from National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) had this to say, "Human trafficking is a problem that cannot be looked at in isolation. This week demonstrates what can be achieved when government, civil society, international organizations and commercial sector work together towards achievement of a common goal."

"By continuing to raise awareness of human trafficking through events such as these, we hope that other sectors of South African community will come forward to lend their support. The more involvement there is in countering human trafficking, the more we are likely to succeed," says IOM's regional representative for Southern Africa, Hans-Petter Boe.

In June 2007, South Africa's Human Trafficking Awareness Week was named a "BEST GLOBAL PRACTICE TO COMBAT TRAFFICKING" by US Department of State in its annual Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report.

By staff writer

© afrol News

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