South Africa
Police rescue 12 sex slaves
Thestar.com
Twelve girls, some as young as 10, have been rescued from child prostitu-tion syndicates, but police believe that many more are still in the clutches of criminals.
A month-long police investigation into the sex ring, spanning Joburg and Durban and prompted by a tip-off from one of the girls' sisters, has led to the arrest of 59 Nigerians who allegedly locked the girls up, drugged them and forced them to have sex for money.
Twelve girls, some as young as 10, have been rescued from child prostitu-tion syndicates, but police believe that many more are still in the clutches of criminals.
A month-long police investigation into the sex ring, spanning Joburg and Durban and prompted by a tip-off from one of the girls' sisters, has led to the arrest of 59 Nigerians who allegedly locked the girls up, drugged them and forced them to have sex for money.
Of the arrests, 57 took place in Johannesburg yesterday and the other two were nabbed in Durban on Wednesday.
Some of the girls had been kidnapped, some had run away from home and others had been sold to the criminals by their parents.
The girls were given crack cocaine and heroin, leading to addiction that made them dependent on their captors.
"The average age of the girls is between 13 and 16, but some
of the children we interviewed said they had been on the street since they were 11," said Superintendent André Neethling of the South African Police Service's family violence, child protection and sexual offences unit of Gauteng.
Police believe that many more girls are still in the hands of the criminals, but that they are being moved between Johannesburg, Cape Town, Bloemfontein and Durban, making it difficult to track and rescue them.
"The majority of the arrests in Gauteng were made in Rosettenville and most of the suspects were arrested for child trafficking, cellphone theft or possession of drugs," said Neethling. "Cellphone theft and drugs are an important link in child-sex syndicates."
Forced into addiction and dependency, the girls are apparently encouraged to steal cellphones from clients to pay for drugs.
Neethling declined to give any further details on how the sex trade works, saying he did not want to jeopardise the investigation at such an early stage.
The Star recently reported how Rosettenville has become Joburg's suburb of shame, particularly because of increasing prostitution, slums and drugs.
The suburb has also earned a reputation for child prostitution, with girls as young as 12 hooked on heroin and crack cocaine, and selling sex on the streets.
The two Nigerians arrested in Durban were held for solicitation and having sex with a minor.
Their arrests followed a police swoop on a flat in the central business district, where four young girls - aged between 12 and 15 - had been locked up. Some of them had to be given medical treatment.
"They were in a shocking state when they were rescued," said police spokesperson Gugu Sabela.
"They told the police they were always locked inside the flat by the Nigerians, who kept the keys in their pockets."
The rescued girls have, according to Neethling, been reunited with their families or taken to places of safety.
On Wednesday, The Star reported how one of the girls, aged 13, who was rescued in Durban on Tuesday night, had apparently been abducted in Boksburg.
Her parents reported the matter to the police at the time but shecould not be found as she had been taken to Durban, police believe.
Asked about the clients who fund this illegal industry, Neethling said: "People need to realise that raping a child at a young age is totally unacceptable. It carries a life sentence. We will not tolerate it."
None of the clients have been arrested as yet.
The operation continues.