The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has embarked on a World Cup safe migration campaign around Beit Bridge District, in an effort aimed at educating people on the dangers of border jumping.

The IOM programme officer at the Beit Bridge Reception and Support Centre, Mr Nick van der Vyver, said the main thrust of the campaign was to inform people in the district about the dangers of irregular migration. “We are going around the district, educating people on the risks involved in irregular migration. In fact, the entire programme is aimed at reminding people of issues related to safe migration, taking into cognizance that many people continue to fall victim to armed robbery syndicates operating in undesignated entry points along the Limpopo River. You will also note that women are being sexually abused in the process of illegally crossing the border to South Africa."

He said they were conducting their campaigns through song, dance and drama and were also distributing pamphlets containing vital information to raise awareness, particularly on issues such as human trafficking "as such cases are likely to occur during the World Cup period,” he said.

The theme of the programme is Modern Day Slavery, and the programme was launched just before the start of the World Cup; it will stretch until 21 July. “We are also saying through our campaign that people should obtain proper travel documents for safe migration, as irregular migration exposes them to dangers, irrespective of their gender,” he added.

Cases of Zimbabweans, mostly women, being sexually abused while in the process of illegally crossing the border to South Africa are on the increase. According to a recent report by Medecins Sans Frontires (MSF), the number of Zimbabweans being sexually assaulted along the border has increased by a third. Statistics supplied by the organisation indicate that between March 1 and May 1, a total of 71 cases were handled at their clinic in Musina. This means about 20 people were raped a month, an increase from an average of 15 the previous year.

A majority of the victims are female border jumpers. It is believed that the number of cases could be higher, as more cases go unreported. Those treated by doctors had all indicated that they knew many more victims who were attacked but did not seek treatment. Van der Vyver said they were also targeting illegal cross-border transport operators. Some of the transport operators work in cahoots with organized robbery syndicates, commonly known as gumagumas. They approach border jumpers on the pretext of offering to facilitate their crossing the border to South Africa illegally, for a fee ranging from between R500 and R2 000.

Some of the illegal transporters ferry border jumpers to bushy areas where they then rob them of their belongings before dumping them. Some women are lured by these syndicates who promise them non-existent jobs in South Africa but end up selling them to syndicates who then force them to indulge in prostitution. The areas identified as the main criminal hotspots include Tshikwalakwala, Makakavhule and Dite. The villages are situated along the Limpopo River.