Won’t stop trafficking

THEnew visa regulations will do nothing to stop child trafficking.

No one can get hold of a child’s passport except their parents so it is up to the countries that issue passports to control who gets them, not the countries they are visiting.

Child trafficking has nothing to do with one parent taking the child out of the country without the parents’ consent. Parents have control of the child’s passport so it is not possible for a stranger to take the child out of the country without their consent.

If parents are separated it is not up to us to control which parent has the child’s passport. It is up to the passport issuing authorities in their home country. Without the passport it is, of course, impossible to get a visa.

Most child trafficking is probably done with the consent of the parents who believe that the traffickers are taking their children to South Africa to a better future. If a stranger is bringing a child to South Africa, or if the child is travelling on their own, then the visa issuing office should of course ascertain the reason for the visit and refuse entry, if necessary.

As far as the regulations which compel visitors to go in person to get a visa are concerned, the reason is apparently for biometric testing for fingerprints.

What about biometric testing through iris identification with the photographs at immigration?

If there is really a reason to get fingerprints this could be done at immigration too, but most countries are using the simple photo method.

It is crazy to force people to go in person to get a visa if it is negatively affecting tourism and therefore costing the country billions of rand, and hundreds or tens of thousands of jobs in the hospitality industry at this time of economic hardship.

We used to see busloads of Chinese tourists in Sea Point all year round, but now they have disappeared.