“It is a crisis, it just wasn’t a crisis according to how we as journalists expected it to be. It’s an indictment, it’s a problem with journalists that we follow the pack, and we follow certain stories that are in the news and when it’s out of the news it dies.”

–          Khadija Magardi, Senior Journalist

“Do I think we acted responsibly? Absolutely. Do I think the NGOs acted responsibly? No. I think there was a lot of fear mongering before the world cup”

–          Kevin Ritchie, Editor, Saturday Star

“It’s not always that simple to identify a victim of human trafficking, many of the girls or the women who are victims of this crime, they themselves don’t always know that they are victims of human trafficking due to its subversive nature and the amount of deceit that is involved”

–          Marcel Van Der Watt, Hawks

These are some of the insights uncovered by child journalists Khumo Baduza and Khotso Zhile in their documentary, for Media Monitoring Africa’s “Child Protection and Trafficking: Is the Media Telling the Right(s) Story”

What now?

How can we clearly communicate the reality of modern Slavery in SA?

Following an exclusive airing of this documentary, an expert panel and an audience of key stakeholders will take part in a discussion chaired by etv’s Jeremy Maggs.

Daily Maverick Deputy Editor Philip De Wet, Eye Witness News Anchor Ray White, New Life Centre Programme Directorand co-founder Babalwa Makhawula and Director of Justice ACTs Johannesburg Diane Hall will be on the panel to explore and attempt to answer the following questions:

• Does domestic trafficking matter less to the media than importing “foreign” people?
• Why are we loath to label all sorts of slavery as “human trafficking”?
• How can we tell this story and remain sensitive to the vulnerability of victims?
• How do we promote informed understanding and sell newspapers?
• Can we put the interests of victims ahead of agendas, consumers, deadlines & donors?

This event is fully booked. Members of the media only.

Date: 3rd March

Place: The Bioscope – 286 Fox Street, Joburg

Time: 11:00 to 13:30

For more information please contact