Community action: totally unwrapped.
On Saturday, at our STOP THE TRAFFIK Unwrapped event I can say without a doubt that Community Action to Combat Trafficking was eagerly and unreservedly unwrapped. With over 250 participants from around the UK and beyond, the whole team were inspired and humbled by the passion and enthusiasm of the STOP THE TRAFFIK activists. You … Read more
Are you going to the Olympics? We are!
The Queens’ Golden Jubilee this weekend is a tiny insight into the madness and mayhem we are about to witness with the Olympics just around the corner. Yes, the countdown is on! In just 56 days’ time over 9 million people will descend on our capital to watch the world’s best athletes compete. It is … Read more
Olympic mascots made by Chinese workers in exploitative conditions
The London Organising Committee for the Olympic games (LOCOM) has strict ethical guidelines for Olympic suppliers, however, The Sun exposed that these are not being met. The Sun article states that the cuddly toy versions of the Olympic mascots, Mandeville and Wenlock, have been made in factories in China where workers are paid just … Read more
A smokey sweet global news round
Smokey Activists in Africa are upset about the government’s decision to promote tobacco production but not just because smoking is predicted to be the leading cause of deaths worldwide by 2030 killing 8 million people a year. Tanzania has already seen an increase in trafficking onto tobacco plantations so if there is an increased … Read more
One year til the Olympics and we’re going on the road
One year from today, the Olympics will kick-off here in London and with the support of the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, we are using this amazing opportunity to raise awareness about human trafficking through community roadshows. Here’s the nitty gritty of what you need to know about the roadshows: Why: Everyone needs to know … Read more
Breaking the trafficking stereotype
Yesterday, a man who was found guilty of trafficking women out of the UK, was sentenced to 20 years in jail. This was the first prosecution of its kind in the UK. Before an attempt was made to traffick two girls, 14 and 16, out of the country, the girls were imprisoned in the man’s UK … Read more
Northern Ireland – Police can’t do it alone!
This week, a BBC investigation in Northern Ireland uncovered that up to £500,000 is spent every week on prostitution and police estimate there are 88 brothels in operation. Read more here. Police said gangs can make millions of pounds a year by trafficking women in to the country and exploiting them. Northern Ireland has a higher … Read more
Stolen – new BBC drama addresses child trafficking
Sunday 3rd July, BBC1 will air it’s new 90-minute drama Stolen, from award-winning director Justin Chadwick. Stolen follows the story of one man, Anthony, and three children. Anthony works in the Human Trafficking Unit, battling to make a difference to the plight of exploited children being smuggled into the UK and from there, to anywhere and … Read more
Traffickers no longer ‘sleep tight’ at Travelodge
Staff at the Wyndham Travelodge San Diego, California were recently in the news for being complicit in human trafficking activity operating from within the hotel. One activist heard about it on the news and started a campaign through Change.org It can be hard to imagine that the slightly run down B&B around the corner from … Read more
Who works at the cannabis farm next door?
The Observer thinks the authorities are failing, but could communities also do more to identify potential cases of trafficking? Recently the Observer highlighted the case of Hien, a 14 year old from Vietnam who was trafficked into the UK. Hien was picked up at Heathrow by the British authorities and was put into care … Read more
Cut the strings of the trafficking puppet masters
Today, the London Metropolitan Police are spreading the word around London about their new human trafficking hotline which we hope will encourage victims and those who may know of victims to help cut the strings of their puppet-master traffickers. STOP THE TRAFFIK are really excited to work with the Met police on this project. With … Read more
What are your favourite trafficking films?
A team of New York University (NYU) postgraduate students are getting ready to film Brave Girl, which will tell the story of Bumika, a 13-year old Nepali girl, who is trying to “change the heart of a kidnapper before her fate is out of her control.” We are really excited about this film! With each … Read more
ACT Sheffield on the telly!
A fantastic ACT group based at Sheffield Hallam University were asked to feature on the ITV news! The programme is called ITV fixers and helps people ages 18-25 achieve various projects. They were raising awareness of the internal trafficking of British nationals and the ITV were so impressed, they had little documentary made about what … Read more
Bloody cocoa in Cote d’Ivoire
People have been asking me what our take is on what’s going on in Cote d’Ivoire at the moment. Is the unrest there affecting the trafficking of kids onto the plantations? What is our response? I want to take some time explaining it, but in a way that is short and simple to understand … Read more
E-learning tools launched on International Woman’s day
On International Women’s Day a joint e-learning initiative between Metropolitan Housing Partnership (MHP) and STOP THE TRAFFIK was launched to educate and raise awareness of human trafficking among authorities, communities, and the public. These e-learning modules explain what human trafficking is, the signs of trafficking people should look out for, and what people can do … Read more
Women of the world UNITE!
Today is International Woman’s Day! Today is the day we put our feet up and celebrate the very simple fact that we are and (in most cases) always will be women. Wondering what to write, the women in our office tried to think of reasons why it is great to be a woman. Ourlist started … Read more
Global Newsround 01.03.2011
Argentina In an attempt to curtail human trafficking within it’s borders, the Argentinean government is considering punishing anyone who pays for sex. The proposal has started a heated debate between women’s rights groups and sex workers. The Association of Women Prostitutes stress the difference between sex work where consent is given, and trafficking which they … Read more
Designers/Illustrators: Hertfordshire needs you!
The indefatigable talents of STOP THE TRAFFIK supporters have never been in doubt. You’ve performed, you’ve drawn, you’ve sung, you’ve painted, you’ve baked, you’ve filmed, you’ve danced. You’ve even taken to writing poetry lately, with equal aplomb. STOP THE TRAFFIK is working alongside Hertfordshire Anti-Trafficking Board to develop a thorough human trafficking awareness campaign across … Read more
‘Have a Heart Nestlé’ Twitter Awards
In the run up to Valentine’s day, people from all over the world used love poems and Valentine’s messages on Twitter to tell Nestlé to ‘Have A Heart’ and put an end to trafficked labour in their supply chains. We thought we’d give some public recognition to the literary genius of STOP THE TRAFFIK supporters … Read more
Will Super Bowl 2011 be the only game in town?
The connection between human trafficking and major sporting events has proved to be a rather moot point over recent years. Unfortunately, much of the heat around the debate has been caused by arguments over statistics, rather than arguments about how best to ensure that there isn’t a connection. Joseph Stalin may not be someone … Read more
Sparks Productions Human Trafficking Film
Check out this brilliant short film created by Sparks Productions on human trafficking – they’ve kindly featured STOP THE TRAFFIK.
STOP THE TRAFFIK Global Freedom Summit
STOP THE TRAFFIK invites you to the first Global Freedom Summit, which will take place in London on 11th April 2011. Next year, people from across the world will descend on London, as it hosts the 2012 Olympics. Meet two of them: He’s a world-class sprinter. She’s a normal young girl. He’s lured … Read more
Father and Son Trafficking Team Convicted
Marius Nejloveanu and his father, Bogdan, have been convicted of trafficking 5 women from Romania to Manchester, UK. The victims were originally told that they could earn up to £1000 a month working in a bar. But after arriving in the country, the father and son team forced them into prostitution, making them see up to … Read more
Training the Protectors
By Simon Butcher Heather Nesbitt is a former police officer who has been involved in investigating trafficking cases. She has written candidly for STOP THE TRAFFIK from her own personal experience on why it is so important for those people tasked with protecting trafficking victims to be adequately trained. “My journey started many years ago … Read more
Poverty and Human Trafficking: Myth-Busting
By Simon Butcher Last week, the Institute for Trafficked, Exploited and Missing Persons (ITEMP) published a new report identifying poverty as the root cause of human trafficking. “By finding the roots of the problem, we can begin to look for permanent solutions,” ITEMP Director of Operations Charles Moore said. You can perhaps imagine the scene: … Read more
UK Sex Gangs – It’s about cash not culture
The British media could never be accused of shying away from a race row. But if there was ever an instance where bringing race into the equation was entirely unnecessary, unhelpful and unproductive, it’s here. Last week, The Times newspaper featured a leading article examining the increasing number of cases of internal trafficking in parts … Read more
Football World Cup in Qatar: the trafficking problem
Last month FIFA, the world’s football governing body, announced Qatar as the host country for the 2022 Football World Cup. Across the world the decision was greeted with, at best, a collective raised eyebrow. Qatar’s unique socio-economic makeup makes it a particularly interesting case study for human trafficking. Some quick Qatari facts: – It ranks … Read more
STOP THE TRAFFIK walking like Egyptians!
STOP THE TRAFFIK have just returned from a trip to Egypt. We were invited to take part in a conference in Luxor called End Trafficking Now. The conference lasted 3 days and included: – a live debate in Luxor temple recorded for BBC World Service (which was incidentally frustrating and left me grinding my teeth) … Read more
Global News 15/12/2010
Iceland A lot of people have pointed out that the recent publication by WikiLeaks of US Embassy cables doesn’t seem to have told us much we didn’t already know about the world. But there’s no doubting it will give rise to a few rather awkward conversations and several red faces in diplomatic circles. It appears … Read more
Traffik-free Christmas
The whiff of Christmas is certainly hovering in the air: the faint scent of nostalgia, the aroma of kindliness and generosity… and the stench of every company in the land insisting that you spend your hard-earned money on their wares. Fortunately, STOP THE TRAFFIK is here to provide some retail assistance, with some beautiful gift … Read more
