SOUTH AFRICA – Musical Stars to Stage Concert Against Human Trafficking - South African musical stars will be taking to the stage in Newtown, Johannesburg to play their part in raising awareness of human trafficking on Saturday 11 October 2008.

The Human Trafficking Awareness Concert will be a free open-air event rounding up a series of activities as part of the country’s annual Human Trafficking Awareness Week, which kicked off on 5 October.       Thrilling performances are expected from artists such as MXO, Peggy, Sliq Angel, Wax and Ras, while top DJs such as Naked and Hudson will spin the decks for the audience.

The week-long event this year has seen the participation of civil society, religious bodies, government departments and international organizations engaging in several activities such as workshops, media campaigns and exhibitions to raise awareness of the crime nationwide.

METRO FM, South Africa’s largest urban radio station, has been instrumental in the 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 on IOM’s toll-free helpline: 0800 555 999.

“Children and women are the most vulnerable to this heinous crime” says Metro FM Station Manager, Matona Sakupwanya. “METRO FM has partnered with the IOM in order to demystify human trafficking and enable our listeners to understand the problem, decrease their vulnerability, and prevent it from spreading.”

“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 the commercial sector work together towards the achievement of a common goal,” explains Malebo Kotu-Rammopo, of the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), one of the key contributors to the Week.

“By continuing to raise awareness of human trafficking through events such as these, we hope that other sectors of the 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 the US Department of State in its annual Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report.

For more information: Contact Nde Ndifonka at IOM Pretoria on  nndifonka at iom.int or +27 71 689 9966 METRO FM:  matona at metrofm.co.za, 011 714 3485 NPA -  tip-pcu at npa.gov.za, 012 8456153