Curfews, lockdowns and quarantines have pushed trafficking further underground and create optimal conditions for victim “harvesting”. To continue operating, traffickers have adjusted their modus operandi. There has also been an increase in traffickers using online platforms like Instagram, Facebook and popular dating sites to recruit people.
AuthorBoitumelo Spain
Boitumelo Spain graduated from the University of the Free State, receiving her undergraduate degree in 2020 with 14 distinctions, a Bachelor of Social Sciences with a specialisation in Criminology and Psychology.
Her undergraduate degree well equipped her in forensic criminology, criminal behaviour, child justice, social psychology, psychotherapy, and personology. She is currently completing her Bachelor of Arts Honours with a specialisation in Criminology at the University of South Africa.
Boitumelo is well versed in research, fundamental criminology, contemporary crime issues, as well as criminological evaluation and assessment. In 2022, Boitumelo will start her masters research, investigating the catalyst occurrence of female perpetrators of human trafficking in South Africa. Boitumelo is an emerging academic, facilitating an academic learning environment for students in the department of Centre for Teaching and Learning at the University of the Free State since 2019. Apart from that, she volunteers in offender assessment for the collaborative project between the Department of Correctional Services and the University of South Africa. She holds numerous accolades, awards, and membership to professional associations in her field, while having been a member of the Golden Key International Honour Society since 2018.