Realising the importance of keeping people safe and spreading awareness about human trafficking, Lunél Botha hosted the first A21 Walk for Freedom in Jeffreys Bay, on October 14, as part of an American non-profit A21’s global initiative to put an end to human trafficking.
As a member of the Global Challenge Church in Jeffreys Bay, in June last year Botha joined the church’s food drive initiative and outreach programmes for homeless people in the area.
While interacting and communicating with many people in need, she learned that many of those living on the streets were being exploited, especially women and children.
With so many vulnerable people in her community being exploited, Botha said that she began wondering about how many more people in the world were living in similar situations.
“Listening to the stories that homeless people in Jeffreys Bay had shared with me opened my eyes to the harsh circumstances they were faced with, and I wanted to help them,” said Botha.
She said that eight years ago she began following A21, a global organisation determined to end human trafficking and modern-day slavery throughout the world.
According to the A21 website, all over the world human beings are being exploited, with each victim of human trafficking having one common factor, vulnerability.
The website further states that there are at least 40.3 million people currently enslaved around the world, with men, women, and children all at risk of being trafficked.
While searching on the A21 website, Botha found that the organisation embarked on a global Walk for Freedom annually, on October 14.
To bring awareness on human trafficking on a local level, she decided to host a similar walk in Jeffreys Bay on the same day, and plans to continue the initiative annually.
“I believe that every step we take locally leaves footprints globally. Every dollar raised, every poster seen, and every person made aware of the issue of human trafficking, adds up to one global impact – a world where everyone is free,” said Botha.
As part of the 4km walk, which began at the First Light Coffee Bar in St Croix Street, the 58 black-clad participants walked with posters and handed out pamphlets with information about human trafficking statistics and signs to look out for.
She said that she is hoping people in the nearby towns within the Kouga region will consider hosting a similar walk on October 14 next year, to further raise awareness in their communities.
Botha also hopes to encourage people to visit the A21 website on www.a21.org, where they can learn more about human trafficking in their cities by searching for the country and city on the website.
She said that she was thankful for the local participants who braved the cold and wet weather to embark on the A21 Walk for Freedom to spread awareness on such an important issue.
For more information about the annual walk in Jeffreys Bay, email Lunél Botha at lunelbotha@gmail.com.
For additional information about A21 or the global Walk for Freedom, email info@a21.org.
