It is announced that a child prostitution and trafficking task team rescues 14 underage prostitutes in downtown Johannesburg

Child kidnapping, trafficking and prostitution has become rife in the syndicates of Cape Town, Johannesburg and Durban. Children who are trafficked for sexual purposes are forced into prostitution by parents, family friends, taxi drivers and brothel owners. The most vulnerable children are girls between the ages of 12 and 16, who are often kidnapped in broad daylight. They are gang raped, drugged and beaten. These assaults, as well as the sexual acts these girls are forced to perform, are often caught on film and sold as pornographic material. Some of the girls who are trafficked are even exchanged by gangs for weapons and turf.  Due to the fact that child trafficking is on the increase in South Africa, child prostitution and trafficking task teams have been incorporated into the South African Police force. Some progress has been made in attempting to clamp down on this form of crime. One example of this is the publically announced rescue of 14 underage prostitutes on 25 November 2004, which brought to 28 the number of children and young adults that were rescued by police in October and November 2005. During this period, the police were able to make 67 arrests. Of the children who were rescued in the operation, all but one was South African, and their ages ranged from 13- 16. Though they did not seem to have been drugged, they admitted using cannabis. It was not known whether any of these children had been reported missing. Almost 1,700 children go missing in South Africa every year. Child Rights groups warn that the 2010 FIFA World Cup will provide the ideal market for child trafficking. This is particularly due to the fact that South Africa has no specific legislation that criminalizes child trafficking. Neighbouring African countries do not provide protection to vulnerable children either. Children and women from Mozambique and Swaziland pay a fee to a syndicate to be smuggled into South Africa. They are promised jobs and a better life, but are often forced into prostitution. The rate of child and women trafficking within the borders of South Africa is increasing at an alarming rate. South Africa has been described by international child right Non Govermental Organisations (NGO's) as a "huge problem" with regard to human trafficking.