Multi-disciplinary initiatives to rendering services to women survivors of human trafficking in South Africa

Abstract

The women survivors of human trafficking suffer diverse consequences that require service providers to be creative, well-coordinated, and to render services in a multi-disciplinary manner. For social services to be relevant to the needs of women, they should be conducted from an ecological systems approach. Based on a qualitative study conducted at five organizations in South Africa, this paper highlights the multi-disciplinary initiatives to rendering services to women survivors of human trafficking. Employing a phenomenological research design, data was collected from 14 social service providers through one-on-one interviews and analyzed using a thematic analysis. The findings indicate that social service providers make use of a multi-disciplinary approach in rendering services and that this has contributed toward building the resilience of the women, who now seem to have a hope to heal and restart a new life. However, there are challenges in working from a multi-disciplinary approach due to some stakeholders not delivering on their mandates. The conclusion is that social service providers are fully aware of the opportunities presented by the multi-disciplinary approach to rendering services. Future research should be conducted on designing programmes and interventions aimed at addressing the needs of women survivors of human trafficking.