The release on Monday of the first report from a larger, authoritative research study on the scope and nature of human trafficking in South Africa was a significant step forward – especially in view of proposed law reform in South Africa, said the study author, Dr Marcel van der Watt. […]
Tag: Marcel van der Watt
Human trafficking in South Africa: an elusive statistical nightmare
Originally published in theconversation.com Human trafficking is a global crime affecting countless victims around the world. Yet its actual scope remains a mystery. The methodologies used to arrive at estimates about its nature and extent have been widely criticised as flawed or lacking in scientific rigour. In South Africa, claims […]
Communication, language and collective compassion
[notice]A monthly column by Marcel van der Watt, lecturer in the Department of Police Practice at UNISA, former police detective, and current member of the Gauteng Rapid Response Task Team for Human Trafficking.[/notice] The recent xenophobic attacks and its reverberating effect on the entire South African landscape raised a plethora […]
Racism: Invisible shackles with a tangible key
A monthly column by Marcel van der Watt, lecturer in the Department of Police Practice at UNISA, former police detective, and current member of the Gauteng Rapid Response Task Team for Human Trafficking. Being part of God’s family is a privilege which regularly provides us with small glimpses into our […]
Combating human trafficking: a new chapter
[notice]A monthly column by Marcel van der Watt, lecturer in the Department of Police Practice at UNISA, former police detective, and current member of the Gauteng Rapid Response Task Team for Human Trafficking.[/notice] A round table discussion was facilitated by the Department of Social Development on Friday 20 February 2015 […]
Lessons from the Well
[notice]A monthly column by Marcel van der Watt, lecturer in the Department of Police Practice at UNISA, former police detective, and current member of the Gauteng Rapid Response Task Team for Human Trafficking.[/notice] The discourse on the decriminalisation of prostitution is one that I try to follow as far as […]
Scripture and hostage negotiation
[notice]A monthly column by Marcel van der Watt, lecturer in the Department of Police Practice at UNISA, former police detective, and current member of the Gauteng Rapid Response Task Team for Human Trafficking.[/notice] The recent Sydney hostage situation stirred some vivid memories of the intensity, emotions and multi-layered complexities associated […]
The ice bucket challenge and the sobering inequality narrative
[notice]A monthly column by Marcel van der Watt, lecturer in the Department of Police Practice at UNISA, former police detective, and current member of the Gauteng Rapid Response Task Team for Human Trafficking.[/notice] The ‘ice bucket challenge’ has taken the world by storm. Pictures of celebrities dousing themselves with buckets […]
Resilience and the child
[notice]A monthly column by Marcel van der Watt, lecturer in the Department of Police Practice at UNISA, former police detective, and current member of the Gauteng Rapid Response Task Team for Human Trafficking.[/notice] Much has been written about the ‘children of today’, being the ‘leaders of tomorrow’. In harmony with […]
Social justice and the liquorice moments
[notice]A monthly column by Marcel van der Watt, lecturer in the Department of Police Practice at UNISA, former police detective, and current member of the Gauteng Rapid Response Task Team for Human Trafficking.[/notice] For those working in the field of social justice, the presence of both highs and lows of […]