The A21 Campaign

About The A21 Campaign

A21 (Abolish Slavery Everywhere, Forever) is a global non-governmental organisation operating in 14 countries across 19 locations, founded on the mission of ending human trafficking through prevention, intervention, and aftercare. A21 has a dedicated South Africa office, based in Cape Town, and is one of the DSD's funded NPO partners in the Western Cape Victim Empowerment Programme space. The South African office is registered locally and operates the country's only dedicated 24/7 National Human Trafficking Hotline.

A21 South Africa has been an active presence at Cape Town's Inter-Provincial Bus Terminal (IPBT) and other high-risk transit points, conducting joint operations with PRASA, WC DSD, and SAPS to raise trafficking awareness and identify potential victims.

The National Human Trafficking Hotline — 0800 222 777

Since its inception in 2016, A21's 24/7 toll-free National Human Trafficking Hotline has been the primary reporting mechanism for suspected human trafficking in South Africa. The hotline is staffed by specially trained, trauma-informed call specialists who can receive calls in over 230 languages. It handles calls from potential victims, concerned community members, law enforcement, and NGOs. Cases are assessed, managed, and referred to appropriate services including shelter, legal aid, law enforcement, and A21's own survivor aftercare. In 2021, the South African hotline handled a significantly increased volume of contacts — with Gauteng (41.1%) and Western Cape (28.8%) being the primary provinces.

Services

Prevention and Awareness — A21 runs the "Can You See Me?" public awareness campaign, educating communities on the three most common forms of trafficking in South Africa: domestic servitude, sexual exploitation, and forced labour. They deliver educational curricula in schools, host public awareness events, and train law enforcement, healthcare workers, social workers, and transport sector workers to identify trafficking warning signs.

Intervention — A21 works in active partnership with law enforcement to support victim identification, assist in investigations, and support prosecutions of traffickers. They operate the national hotline as the primary reporting mechanism and can coordinate responses to cases in real time.

Aftercare and Survivor Restoration — A21 provides holistic aftercare to survivors of trafficking, including safe accommodation (or referral to partner shelters), counselling, trauma therapy, legal representation, documentation assistance, employment preparation, and repatriation for foreign nationals. The aim is to move survivors from crisis to stabilisation to independence. External Survivor Assistance (ESA) services are available for any trafficking survivor, including provision of emergency accommodation and referrals.

Intersection with GBV

Human trafficking and GBV are deeply interconnected. Many survivors of trafficking have also experienced domestic violence, rape, or sexual exploitation. A21 is specifically equipped to support survivors at this intersection — particularly women and girls who have been sexually exploited, including through trafficking into sex work.