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This article explored police methods and challenges in the identification of human trafficking activities by the South African Police Service (SAPS). A qualitative research method was employed in this study that used semi-structured interviews to collect data. Participants were sourced from three key stakeholder groups: (1) the SAPS (Headquarters), (2) Sunnyside Community Service Centre, and (3) Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI) officials with expertise related to human trafficking. This sample comprised 15 participants and a purposive sampling procedure was adopted. The study found that there are various methods of identifying human trafficking identified by the SAPS in the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality (CTMM). Furthermore, the findings highlighted that human trafficking has a national dimension despite that trafficking could occur within the same province or policing area. However, it remains a concern that policing methods to reduce the scourge are not effectively implemented hence an increased rate of human trafficking not only in the CTMM policing area but in many parts of South Africa. It was also found that in the process of identifying human trafficking activities, the SAPS is often faced with various challenges that may be linked to ineffective implementation of methods of identifying human trafficking activities

Human trafficking has plagued the rights of many people worldwide, and it has continually put their protection in jeopardy. Thus, a need to explore the challenges and barriers encountered by stakeholders such as the South Africa Police Service (SAPS) and non-government organisations (NGOs) to respond to this scourge remains essential. The study understood the obstacles to combatting human trafficking in Durban Metropolitan through in-depth interviews. The findings of this study revealed loopholes in measurements of human trafficking; for instance, instability in partnerships of relevant stakeholders adversely impacts the fight against the menace of human trafficking. Also, current resources are perceived to be minimal to match the severity of this crime. As a recommendation, SAPS and NGOs should advance their technological capacities, and acquiring appropriate knowledge and regular training of officials should remain the focal point of any response to human trafficking. Moreover, technological advancement should match or surpass the sophistication in crime commission to rapidly identify human traffickers and victimisation instances.

Human trafficking is a violation that destroys human’s honor and dignity. Every year the number of victims of human trafficking is soaring, LPSK states that in 2021 there will be 210 victims of human trafficking, with details of male victims as many as 75 persons, while women amounting to 135 persons. Several things cause human trafficking, one of which is the lack of legal protection for the victims, prevention of women trafficking that is not properly implementated, and lack of education which causes loss of legal morals and responsibility to protect people, especially who are vurnerable. In addition to the above, there is also a lack of public understanding and knowledge on human trafficking issues, despite since 2007 since the Criminal Act of Trafficking in Persons No. 21 of 2007 was established. Another cause is due to economic demands, demands for survival among the poor or marginalized group, and on the other hand there is a desire to earn large incomes in an easy and fast way. In national and international law, human trafficking is one of the most common violations of the law, especially for women and children’s victims. Human trafficking is very detrimental not only materially or immaterially but also to the protection of the poor and younger generations who are the main targets of human trafficking. This research will apply the normative juridical method from various sources of law and legislation to review the two issues of this research, namely (1) describing how the law is enforced against traffickers, and (2) analyzing the government's role in overcoming the recovery of victims of women trafficking. Preliminary research result shows that legal protection for victims of women trafficking is far from maximum. This will then be investigated further regarding regulations that will help enforce laws against trafficked women, as well as the extent of government support to assist the recovery of victims of women trafficking.