The number is: +27 71 687 3091
Combating Human Trafficking Awareness Programme ARESTA's combating human trafficking Awareness Programme has started since 2007. ARESTA in Partnership with IOM's Southern African Counter-Trafficking Assistance Programme (SACTAP) are working together in the project "Building the Capacity of South African Civil Society to combat Human trafficking" which intends to address the problem of trafficking in persons by building the capacity of South African civil society. The Citizen Journalism in Africa Workshop in Johannesburg, South Africa. Saturday 23rd June 2007 Graduations Ceremonies The Masiphumelele community experienced conflict between Residents of Masiphumelele and Somali Refugees. Following a request from the parties in conflict, the Directorate Social Dialogue and Human Rights in the Department of the Premier, in collaboration with the Department of Community Safety, embarked on a mediation process that included an analysis of the situation as well as recommendations for a lasting solution to the challenge. The UNHCR developed the AGDM strategy in response to three critical evaluations which highlighted a lack of accountability towards Refugees, diminishing contacts of UNHCR staff with Refugees, inadequate field presence, lack of capacity of staff to engage Refugees as partners in protection and solutions, and lack of integration of specific protection risks of women, girls and boys into core protection activities.
World Refugee Day 2006
So far ARESTA has trained twenty people in combating Human trafficking and has joined the Western Cape Provincial Task Team(WCPTT) and our intervention is focused on the PREVENTION (as in all things, prevention is better than cure, ARESTA organizes the awareness campaigns in educating the Refugee Community about trafficking in persons, encourage people to report suspected cases, and equip vulnerable populations with the information necessary to better protect themselves from the recruitment tactics of traffickers) and PROTECTION (in collaboration with partners we provide counseling and support services as educational and vocational training, job placement for the victims of trafficking and we will be a link between Victims who want to repatriate and IOM ).
South Africa is a source, transit, and destination country for trafficked men, women, and children. South African girls are trafficked internally for the purposes of commercial sexual exploitation and domestic servitude. Women and girls from other African countries are trafficked to South Africa and, occasionally, onward to Europe for sexual exploitation. Thai, Chinese, and Eastern European women are trafficked to South Africa for debt-bonded commercial sexual exploitation. Mozambican and Malawian boys and young men are trafficked to South Africa for agricultural labor. Small numbers of Swazi girls are trafficked to South Africa's Mpumalanga Province for domestic servitude. Organized criminal groups and local gangs facilitate trafficking into and within South Africa, particularly for the purpose of commercial sexual exploitation. (U.S. State Dept Trafficking in Persons Report, June 2007)
For further information or assistance in Cape Town, please contact our Education Office on (021)633 8762 or email us to: education@aresta.org.za or call a 24 hours TOLL FREE Number: 0800 555 999.
ARESTA's staff attended the Citizen Journalism in Africa workshop in Johannesburg from 11 - 13 February 2008. The focus of the training was on sound journalism ethics and technical skills. A very exiting and rewarding exercise for ARESTA.
ARESTA, together with other 24 participants from community based organizations in Cape Town and Johannesburg attended this training. We had opportunity to network with other community based organizations working with abused women, children and youth, gays and lesbians, people living with HIV/AIDS...
We are looking forward to working together with the Citizen Journalism in Africa Programme in improving our website and advocacy project through the use of digital media. We want to believe the training will strengthen our capacity in using digital and analogue media to deliver quality contributions to mainstream media.
Picture (Above): ARESTA, together with other 24 participants from Non - Profit and Community Based Organizations in Cape Town and Johannesburg attended this training.
The Hivos / SANGONeT Civil Journalism in Africa Project aims at building the capacity of civil society organisations to use online and offline citizen journalism as a means of publication, lobby, networking and knowledge sharing with their constituencies. Not only technical skills will be sharpened, pens too. Special attention is given to the development of sound and ethical journalistic, lobby, networking and publication skills.
Picture (Opposite): Joseph Eliabson (Self Reliance Programmes, Research & Information Officer) and Charles Mutabazi (Project Director) and Colleagues from the Coalition of African Lesbians at the Citizen Journalism in Africa workshop in Johannesburg
Youth & Children Refugee Day
Good Hope Centre, Cape Town
The event was co organized by the Tutumike network (Refugee Service Providers) and the City of Cape Town.
It was meant to give Refugee children an opportunity to express themselves, make their voices heard, as well as offering them a full day with entertainment and celebration.
More than 600 children and 100 adults attended the event. The children were refugees and local children from the Khayelitscha, Mitchells Plain and other districts.
The Good Hope Centre was converted for this occasion into a big exhibition room, with a stage, two giant screens, and rows of chairs, food and refreshments stalls as well as games for children. Every child attending the day received vouchers to get food, drinks, and candies, as well as balloons, paintings on their faces or tattoos.
The day went on with performances such as plays, dances and songs, from the youth and children, who were at the same time attending the event. Several themes such as poverty, insecurity, education, friendship, integration and xenophobia were tackled.
In the morning, four speeches were delivered, each on behalf of one particular group or organization such as UNHCR (the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees), the Plight of Refugee Child , the City of Cape Town and the Tutumike network.
This day was a success. It was a new opportunity for Tutumike and the City of Cape Town to work together. As a follow-up, both partners plan to further work hand in hand on Refugee children's issues.
Pictures (Top Left): Kemal Omar (City of Cape Town), Nzwaki Qeqe (Tutumike Representative), Nabi Qaderi ( UNHCR Represetantive) together with Refugee Children.
Bottom Right: King Kadende, a Refugee Child from Rwanda presenting the Plight of Refugee Child
Refugees Learning to Earn Project 2007
A group of 24 women completed a Six months Beginner & Advanced Sewing Training at Berzacks from 9 October 2006 to 10 April 2007.
Picture: Laureates together with their trainers.
Picture: Laureates holding their Diploma
"We want to thank ARESTA for organizing such a wonderful skills training for us. We have learned skills for life during the six months we spent here at Berzacks Sewing Training Centre. I am happy to finish this training. It will help me to start my own business here in South Africa and when I will back in my country. Learning together with our fellow South African sisters has given us opportunity to know them. They are kind and friendly. I am also able to speak Xhosa and can communicate with my fellows South African in Xhosa"
(Tina Mbombo, learner from Democratic Republic of Congo)
National Human Right Day 2007
21 March 2007, Misiphumelele
Cape Town, South Africa
From left to right: Deputy Minister of Home Affairs, Mr. Malusi Gigaba;
Deputy Representative of UNHCR, Mr. Abel Mbilinyi;
The Premier of the Western Cape, Mr. Ebrahim Rasool;
The Chairperson of the South African Human Rights Commission, Mr. Jody Kollapen;
The Director General of the Department of the Premier, Mr. Lawrence.
The Process included a coordinated approach involving government, community members, NGO's, business and international institutions as well as skills development in business, community leadership and conflict resolution.
These interventions resulted in the stabilization of the conflict between the two parties. The Human Rights Day event strengthened the initiative and at the same time contributed to the promotion of the vision of the Home for All and the inclusive Human Rights culture.
"What we also need to realize is that South Africa is benefiting in a way from the presence of immigrants and refugees in our country because many of them bring skills, including some of scarce skills that we need. Refugees and immigrants have a major socio-economic contribution to make, as has been witnessed in Masiphumelele, bringing with them an entrepreneurial spirit and culture that, if properly harnessed, can enhance the local communities in which they settle.
Skilled immigrants and refugees would alleviate the skills shortage by contributing skills to our economy. Productive immigrants and refugees pay taxes and save in order to rebuild security in a new country. A large number of medium-sized factories, building firms and specialized commercial ventures in South Africa are started by immigrants. Immigrants have a large role to play in shortage of skills because they are available."
(Quote from Mr. Malusi Gigaba, Deputy Minister of Home Affairs, Statement at Masiphumelele in Cape Town on the National Human Rights Day, 21 March 2007)
7-18 August 2006 in Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg and Pretoria
The AGDM programme was designed in response to these problems, to promote gender equality and respect for Human Rights by reaching many more people of concern of both sexes and different ages and backgrounds through a holistic, systematic approach in order to understand their situation from their perspective. (Africa Newsletter Number 4, December 2006)
According to the AGDM strategy, offices establish "multifunctional teams", composed of UNHCR staff, partners and government counterparts, and engage in interactive dialogue with women, girls, boys, and men of concern. This systematic dialogue is called Participatory Assessment. During discussions with women, girls, boys, and men of concern, teams explore protection risks from their point of view, based on an age, gender, and diversity perspective, and elaborate with them potential solutions to their problems which mobilize their capacities to face the protection risks.
UNHCR extended the invitation to ARESTA to participate in the roll-out of AGDM exercise in South Africa. The roll-out of AGDM exercise in South Africa took place from 7-18 August 2006 in 4 majors' cities namely Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg and Pretoria.
Findings reported by multifunctional teams were markedly varied. Keys issues that emerged included:
- Lack of access to documentation;
- Lack of access to livelihoods;
- Lack of access to shelter;
- Lack of access to education.
Furthermore, assessments revealed that HIV/AIDS, access to Anti-Retroviral (ARVs) and Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV) are other additional protection challenges reported by Refugees and Asylum seekers in South Africa.
Xenophobia is another major protection risk identified during participatory assessments. The findings revealed that xenophobia remains a big concern within the communities that Refugees live and work: Refugees and Asylum seekers were treated with disdain as part of the unwanted migrant populations.
Click on the following link to access the Final Report of the Roll-Out of the AGDM Exercise 2006 in South Africa : Report prepared by Monique EKOKO, Coordinator AGDM - South Africa, 14 October, 2006
The participatory assessment with the Refugee Community in Cape Town has given ARESTA a new perspective for the future programme design and implementation. As a way forward of the use of AGDM tool and the participatory assessment exercise, ARESTA has conducted a comprehensive needs assessment study within the Refugee community to give direction to ARESTA programme development and implementation for 2007. ARESTA has initiated new programmes for 2007. ARESTA has designed the Employment Opportunity Programme and the Community Skills Development Program: Refugee Learning to Earn Project and the Research & Information Centre (RIC).
Thanks to UNHCR that has provided ARESTA with semi-industrial sewing machines for the "Refugees Learning to Earn" Project, ARESTA is able to absorb the trainees into Income Generation Activities. This project has increased participants' chance of getting employment in local sewing industry as well as encouraged participants to establish themselves into legal entities, in form of high quality and well managed small, medium and micro enterprises (SMME), and Cooperatives.
30 June 2006, Cape Town
South Africa
On 20 June 2006, the City of Cape Town (COCT) hosted in its Mayoral Council Chambers, a World Refugee Day Conference. At the Conference, the Honorable Executive Mayor Ald Helen Zille listened to representatives of Cape Town's Refugee community expressing their concerns and stating the various challenges to their integration insofar as they relate to the services that the City provides.
Representatives of other Government's Departments, various Non-governmental organizations, the UNHCR, faith and community based organizations, the business sector, the diplomatic corps and other stakeholders attended the Conference, and had the opportunity to provide input into the discussion. The Conference concluded with a Declaration of the Rights of Refugees presented to the Honorable Mayor for consideration and follow up implementation.
Further information on World Refugee Day 2006 Celebrations in South Africa and other countries in Africa is available in the World Refugee Day 2006 Final Report Africa
Picture: Cape Town's Mayor Helen Zille, UNHCR Deputy Regional Representative Abel Mbilinyi and Christina Henda (Tutumike Representative) sign a Declaration of Refugees' Rights that guarantees to uphold the rights of refugees and support their integration into local society.
ARESTA secured a stall during the World Refugee Week Exhibition week in the Cape Town Civic Centre from 19th - 23rd June 2006. Along with other South African and Refugee traders and NGOs, we had an opportunity to have a lot of contact with the public and staff who pass through Concourse Level, Civic Centre.
A group of refugee women producing beads had the chance to practice their English and Business Skills learned at ARESTA. They sold their products to the public and were very satisfied with customer response to their products.
Picture: ARESTA's Stall at the World Refugee Week Exhibition
Cape Town Civic Centre
South Africa
Updated 9 September, 2008