Civil society

South Africa. At least 40 000 children in South Africa are exploited as child prostitutes each year.  The number of trafficked and exploited children is not known. Tourists, visiting businessmen and locals, sexually abuse and exploit these trafficked and enslaved children.

Fair Trade in Tourism South Africa (FTTSA) has brought the Child-Protection Code of Conduct (The Code) to South Africa. The Code is an instrument of self-regulation and corporate social responsibility, which provides increased protection to children from sexual exploitation in travel and tourism. Thirty South African tourism businesses have signed The Code. This commitment requires adherence to six criteria that have been found to effectively prevent and combat commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC):

1. Establish an ethical policy regarding commercial sexual exploitation of children
2. Train personnel in the country of origin and travel destinations
3. Introduce a clause in contracts with suppliers, stating a common repudiation of commercial sexual exploitation of children
4. Provide information to travelers by means of catalogues, brochures, in-flight films, ticket-slips, home pages, etc
5. Provide information to local “key persons” at the destinations
6. Report annually.

Although South Africa is not a renowned child trafficking destination, certain realities in South Africa create the perfect backdrop for the exploitation of children:  the inflow of tourists, the ease with which people can cross its borders, high poverty levels and the lack of a specific anti-human trafficking law. South Africa has not yet made all forms of human trafficking illegal.  These deficiencies allow trafficked and exploited children into South Africa where they remain largely undetected and perpetrators escape punishment.

South Africa’s tourism businesses have shown their commitment to prevent and help exploited children by signing and implementing The Code.  These businesses have been training their staff, repudiating the sexual exploitation of children and educating their customers with posters and flyers. These two events in Johannesburg (8 June) and Cape Town (9 June) showcased thirty signatories, mainly South African companies that are new to The Code: 

Abang Africa Trust, Avis, Bickley House and Antrim Villa, Budget, Cape Grace, Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC), Cape Town Tourism, City Lodge Hotels Ltd., City Sightseeing, Coral International Cape Town, Don Suites, Europcar, Fairfield Tours South Africa, First Car Rental, Greenways Hotel, Hotel le Vendome, Hertz, Peech Hotel, Peermont Hotels and Casinos, Protea Hotels, Radisson Hotels & Resorts, Southern Sun, Spier, Taj Cape Town, The Backpack and Africa Travel Centre, Thebe Tourism Group, Tourvest Group, Westin Grand Cape Town Arabella Quays and Winchester Mansions.

The Association for Progressive Communications (APC), as part of its Network of Networks project for a free and open internet, is conducting a survey into the information communication technology (ICT) for social change funding landscape.

The organisation says the survey is aimed at tracking the shifts in funding and and making recommendations on collective advocacy with donors on funding.

The APC says the survey will also examine the possibilities for creating an annual civil society summit on ICT public policy.

To complete the survey, click here.

The Department of Social Development treats this report as a starting point in addressing the capacity needs of NPOs in South Africa. The report may be used as a tool to encourage and entrench good governance practices in the sector, not only to enhance functional ability, but also to meet the diverse service delivery needs of broader South African communities. The report recommends that government should work in partnership with the non-profit sector on a joint campaign to mobilise individuals in civil society and the private sector to offer their skills, experience and resources through service on NPO boards.

For more information, click here (PDF).

The Electoral Institute for Southern Africa (EISA), a NGO whose work focuses on balloting and electoral Services; conflict management, democracy and electoral education; governance institutions and processes and elections and political processes, has changed its name to the Electoral Institute for the Sustainability of Democracy in Africa.

EISA has evolved from an election NGO servicing Southern Africa into a more diversified organisation working throughout the continent with national, regional, Pan-African and global partners.

The Institute’s work now covers not only elections but also other Democracy & Governance fields like political party development, conflict management, legislative strengthening, the African Peer Review Mechanism and local governance and decentralisation. Outside the southern African region, EISA has current and past field offices in countries like Burundi, Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, Kenya and Sudan, a reflection of its broader geographical mandate.

The EISA Board of Directors met recently and decided to change the name of the Institute in line with its new geographical and programmatic scope of work. The new name is Electoral Institute for the Sustainability of Democracy in Africa (EISA). We thank you for taking note of this change.

For more information on EISA, click here.