The researcher investigated the existence, prevalence and causes of trafficking for sexual
exploitation in Namibia, as well as its impact and effects on both its victims and society as a
whole.
Due to the complexity and dangerous nature of her topic of study, she utilised a unique method
in which she identifies and capacitates specific members of the study’s target group to lead her
into areas which would otherwise be too difficult for her to reach and involving them in data
collection.
For validity and authenticity purposes, the research was both quantitative and qualitative in
nature. It combined different social research data collection techniques by administering
standardized validated questionnaires to 230 respondents during in-person interviews as well as
carrying out systematic field observations in key areas in 18 out of the 35 of the country’s
regional metropolises and border posts from where it collected information provided by 6 Focus
Group Discussion Meetings (FGDMs) and 32 key informants. This was complemented by
compilation of 18 case studies representing real life stories of possible victims of human
trafficking.
3
The study was able to establish that while sex trafficking as a social phenomenon exists in the
country, there was little public awareness about it. Whereas the phenomenon was found fairly
new, it was also found growing fast mainly among women, young adolescents and children
living in specially difficult circumstances such as unemployed school drop-outs and orphaned
youths mainly due to deep-rooted social, economic and gender inequalities. Its consequences
included physical, health and moral hazards such as diseases that included sexually transmitted
diseases (STDs) and HIV/AIDS, gender-based violence and abandonment and homelessness.
Finally, the study makes some recommendations for policy and legislative prevention and
protection measures, as well as practical service delivery interventions particularly in terms of
public awareness building in order to reduce social, economic and gender inequality that serve to
promote the problem.