Teacher Education: Preparing Student Teachers to Combat Trafficking in Persons

This chapter explores the critical role of teacher education in addressing human trafficking, a significant social justice challenge in South Africa. An overview of the multifaceted nature of trafficking is provided, and its historical roots, current manifestations, and challenges involved in recognising it are addressed. The importance of understanding trafficking through the lived experiences and stories of victims is emphasised. After the intersections between trafficking and social justice are discussed, I provided three possibilities of how teacher education can respond to trafficking as a social justice concern. Firstly, teacher education can be guided by the 4P-Paradigm of Prevention, Protection, Prosecution, and Partnership to respond to trafficking. Secondly, by examining the Minimum Requirements for Teacher Education Qualifications (MRTEQ), the chapter suggests practical ways to incorporate knowledge of trafficking into disciplinary and situational learning within teacher training programmes. Thirdly, a holistic approach can be taken to include teaching about trafficking within the broader context of social justice education, preparing student teachers to become proactive agents of change in combating trafficking. The chapter concludes by stressing the need for empirical research to deepen the understanding of how teacher education can respond to trafficking and enhance teacher preparedness, aiming to create a more informed, empathetic, and proactive teaching community in the fight against trafficking.