The criminal justice response to human trafficking: Exploring the investigative and prosecutorial hurdles

Much has been written on the scourge of human trafficking, with majority of previous research focussing on trends, forms, as well as the regulatory framework for countering the scourge. Despite the presence of a vast body of knowledge on human trafficking, less attention has been given to the operational dynamics that are involved in the investigation and prosecution of human trafficking cases. This paper, which is based on a literature and documentary survey, evaluates the challenges that are encountered by the criminal justice players in responding to human trafficking. The paper specifically focuses on the challenges that are faced by law enforcement agencies in the investigation of human trafficking, as well as the challenges that are faced in the prosecution of human trafficking offenders. Whilst the paper takes a global approach to the problem, much attention is given to South Africa and Zimbabwe- two neighbouring Southern African nations. Keywords: human trafficking, investigations, prosecution, victim protectio