Something important happened this week at Kopano Lerato OVC Project in Winterveldt, Pretoria. The SACBC Migrants, Refugees and Human Trafficking Office—working alongside the Sisters of Mercy, the Catholic Health Care Association, the National Freedom Network and Fula Africa—brought partners together to reflect on a hidden reality: the link between human trafficking, trauma and the developing brain.
We started with a simple truth. Trafficking isn’t just about crossing borders. It’s about exploitation and control. And when you look closely at the lives of many survivors, another pattern appears. Research shows that neurodevelopmental conditions, especially Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), are far more common among trafficked young people than in the general population. This means that struggles with attention, impulsivity, learning difficulties or being pushed out of school can make some children easier targets for grooming, manipulation and human trafficking.
Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) may also be part of this hidden picture. Direct studies are still limited, but scientists explain that FASD can affect memory, judgement and everyday decision-making. These are skills that help people recognise danger or escape exploitation. In a country like South Africa, where FASD rates are among the highest in the world, this overlap matters deeply for prevention and protection.
The conversation also turned to alcohol-exposed pregnancies. Many trafficked or undocumented women live with fear, violence, isolation and huge barriers to health care. Antenatal care becomes difficult to reach and prevention messages often never arrive. This can increase the risk of prenatal alcohol or drug exposure, which is linked to FASD and ADHD-like neurodevelopmental difficulties. Without support, the cycle of trauma can quietly continue into the next generation.
This is why partnerships matter. When anti-trafficking groups, migrant ministries and health services work together, referrals become warmer, care becomes kinder and prevention travels further. In the marginalised communities where the Catholic Health Care Association (CATHCA) and Catholic health providers walk alongside families, the response is simple but powerful: gentle screening, stigma-free maternal care and networks of support that treat every mother and child with dignity. Not loud solutions, just faithful, practical presence.
Because when hidden suffering meets shared compassion, protection grows. And sometimes, that’s where healing truly begins.