Christian Writer Isabel Pavón gave a creative writing workshop around the issue of human trafficking at Calatayud’s city hall (near Zaragoza).
The workshop included the symbolic act of rescuing women from trafficking nets.
What skills do you have to use to tell others that people are trafficked and inspire them to STOP THE TRAFFIK in their community?
Miriam, A 12 year old TRAFFIK STOPPER organised a STOP THE TRAFFIK stall to raise awareness of the issue people trafficking at her school fete and raise money through selling Freedom Keys and Badges.
Miriam says “It was really good because we told people about trafficking and they really listened. One of the things we did on the stall so that it wasn’t just a shop was have a freedom wall that people could sign. We also had a ‘guess the number of badges in the jar’ competition, the winner getting a FairTrade cake (which was made by me, using FairTrade ingredients).”
![clip_image002[4]](http://stopthetraffik.files.wordpress.com/2008/09/clip-image0024.jpg)
Me beside the stall wearing a STOP THE TRAFFIK t-shirt
ACT/s has arrived …. STOP THE TRAFFIK is pleased to announce the arrival of a new community resource
Who is it for? The Active Communities Against Trafficking into Sex Industry pack (ACT/s) is for young people, youth workers and teachers, parents, the elderly, professionals…anyone and everyone who is passionate about
How to start? Click here to download the 1st of 2 ACT/s packs and find out
Joining with ACT/s – whether as an individual or part of a group – you are becoming a traffik stopper, putting STOP THE TRAFFIK ideas into action in your community.
WHEN PEOPLE ACT THINGS CHANGE
Developed specifically to help victims of modern day slavery, The Hull Freedom Trail was an adventure for all concerned. Sierra Leone was just one country that has been affected by children being abducted during the civil war. Girls were forced into being sex slaves and boys were forced into being child soldiers and performed all manner of unspeakable acts.
The Hull Freedom Trail wanted to provide practical help in the form of rugged vehicles for the aid agencies in Sierra Leone, as well as learn about modern forms of slavery during our journey. Each vehicle displayed the STOP THE TRAFFIK logo. They visited dedicated people in Morocco, Mauritania and Senegal who battle tirelessly to release victims of trafficking, campaign for legislative change and educate young people to reduce their vulnerability to being trafficked.
During the civil war in Sierra Leone over 10,000 children were abducted by the rebels. One of the victims raped by the rebels is 18 year old Aminata whose daughter is 6. The rebels stormed into her house and wanted to kidnap all of her family but she offered herself as a sacrifice to save her family. Begging them to take just her and not the others. The Hull Freedom Trail donated vehicles to HANCI (Help A Needy Child International) who look after them both.
This film is a chronicle of their journey as well as an insight into how slavery is more complex and deep rooted than they first thought.
The Swiss branch of Amnesty International took credit Wednesday for a short-lived viral campaign on eBay that used mock auction entries to underscore the issue of human trafficking. More than 200 entries — based on trademarks that could be someone’s first name — cropped up on eBay on Monday evening. One that began “Mercedes, 1986, excellent condition” showed not a car, but a young woman available for auction. http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/News_By_Industry/ET_Cetera/Amnesty_takes_human_trafficking_issue_to_eBay/articleshow/3164690.cms
STOP THE TRAFFIK Netherlands & Fairfood held a demonstration against the worst forms of child labour in the cocoa-industry outside the Dutch parliament. Two parliamentarians joined the demonstration, which marked the end of a competition inviting major producers of chocolate to commit to significant improvement. None of the companies approached were willing to make significant changes and therefore there was no winner to the competition.
Many people in your local community still don’t know that children are trafficked to work on cocoa plantations in the Ivory Coast where nearly half the worlds chocolate is produced.
Even more people don’t know that the chocolate industry promised in 2001 to end the trafficking of children onto cocoa farms by July 1st 2008. Next week this deadline passes, yet still children are trafficked to work on these farms.
We can use our local papers, radio, community newsletters, our blogs to let people know the shocking reality behind the chocolate we eat.
For the local press and media to listen we need to do something that draws attention to the story.
Act together for those who can’t
STOP THE TRAFFIK Awareness Raising & Fundraising Week
Monday 23rd June – Friday 27th June 2008
This week students and staff at Durham 6th Form College will be giving up something they usually spend money on during a normal week. This includes paid lunches, buying CDs, clothes, DVDs etc. Whatever they save will be donated to STOP THE TRAFFIK.
Throughout the week they’ll also be raising awareness of slavery and human trafficking through presentations and posters.
Photos to follow …..
Craig Johnson has been the inspiration & motivation behind the week long event at Durham 6th Form College, UK. He’s been a member of the Boys’ Brigade for the last 12 years, &, over the last 2 years, has been working towards his Queen’s Badge, the most prestigious award within the organisation. Craig had to attend a 3 day completion course in March 07. The course theme was based on STOP THE TRAFFIK to mark the anniversary of William Wilberforce’s victory in Parliament.
Since then, Craig has become more & more moved by the problem of slavery, further emphasised by Panorama’s documentary of Primark on Monday night.
Written by Craig Johnson ….
In the UK, most of us are fortunate enough to be able to buy our own food, drink clean water & sleep comfortably at night. We know that when we wake up in the morning that we will be able to put on clean clothes. We will be able to brush our teeth, clean our bodies ready for the day ahead. If we work, we are paid to do so. If we study, we do so free of charge. We have rights, we have liberties, & we have freedom.
If you have been trafficked into slavery or forced labour then none of the above applies. You will be fed only what will keep you alive. You drink dirty water, &, if you sleep, you sleep in fear. You will wake up & you will wear the same clothes that you’ve been wearing for weeks. There won’t be a toothbrush or shower in sight. You are forced to work. If you’re lucky, you could be working on a farm or a plantation for just 25p a day. You could be a prostitute from 8 o’clock in the morning until 10 o’clock at night. You could be forced to kill innocent people who don’t agree with the regime of your government. Rights are a dream you have at night; freedom is a dream that vanished years ago.
You are probably one of the people who were promised a bright future. You were promised a healthy wage to send back to your family. You were promised a proper bed, clean clothes & the chance to have freedom for the first time in your life. But they paint a brighter picture than the horrible truth. The traffickers get you on their side then take you away to a hell hole until, if you are incredibly lucky, you escape; or, like thous&s of people, you die, when they throw you away & replace you with another innocent victim.
If you’re one of these unfortunate people, it is an 80% chance that you are female. It is a 50% chance that you are a child under the age of 16. On official figures, there are 2.4 million people trafficked every year but we know that these figures aren’t true. They only account for cross border trafficking, & only account for the ones that they are aware of. It is estimated that over 20 MILLION PEOPLE are victims of slavery, generating over 7 BILLION DOLLARS every year.
Think about this next time you have some food or drink clean water. Think about this next time you’re in Topman or River Isl& trying on the latest fashion. Think about it, & make a difference. People shouldn’t be bought & sold.
‘Nobody is free until everyone is free’ (Vivek P&it)
At a festival, Hazel and her friend Jared were chatting. “Something as horrible as people trafficking and slavery needs something drastic,” Hazel remarked. She joked that shaving her shoulder length hair off would be both drastic and dramatic. Jared turned to Hazel and said “I’ll give you a tenner right now if you do it!”. Hazel took the crisp £10 note and began her descent into hairlessness.
As Hazel’s school in Plymouth has rules and codes about drastic haircuts and clothes, she had to seek permission from teachers. “Hair can’t be shorter than grade 3,” she said. “In fact, boys can’t even wear board shorts in case it distracts the girls!” she added, giggling with her friend Dee.
The school gave Hazel permission to go bald as long as she wore a t-shirt explaining why she had no hair. Hazel made herself a t-shirt using the STOP THE TRAFFIK logo and braced herself for charity week.
On March 28th 2008 during a chilly lunch break, Hazel sat at the front of a packed lecture theatre. Over 100 people paid to come and watch.
One of the school’s teachers flicked the switch and the clippers began ferociously buzzing. As people began cheering Hazel began panicking! “When it first started, I was petrified – but I just kept smiling like an idiot!” she laughed.
10 minutes later the wind was closer to Hazel’s head than ever before!
With this courageous act, Hazel made people think, got friends and family interested in STOP THE TRAFFIK and raised £750.
At the weekend Charlotte Wilberforce organised a climb for freedom in Bermuda. She says “It doesn’t matter where you are or how many people you get involved, just do anything to raise awareness of people trafficking and help stamp it out! Join Run For Freedom group who raise funds for Stop the Traffik.”
Check out the full article at: http://www.theroyalgazette.com/siftology.royalgazette/Article/article.jsp?articleId=7d869b33003000e§ionId=60
URGENT ACTION NEEDED TO STOP THE TRAFFIK
The deadline has arrived for the chocolate industry.
JULY 1st 2008
The chocolate industry promised in 2001 to end the trafficking of children onto cocoa farms by July 1st 2008. They claim they have done this but all they have done is gather information about exploitation of children from half the cocoa areas involved.
What they haven’t done is end it.
The trafficking hasn’t been stopped.
The exploitation of children is still happening.
What are we going to do about it?
STOP THE TRAFFIK collected over one and half million declarations from around the world and took them to the UNITED NATIONS. We know we can do something. That is what STOP THE TRAFFIK is all about.
Together we now need to “tell a million”.
Many people in your local community still don’t know what is going on. How can we tell them that the deadline has arrived and children are still suffering.
We can use our local papers, radio and all the community newsletters, our blogs and facebook to tell a million.
For the local press and media to listen we need to do something that draws attention to the story.
Here’s an idea:
Keep it simple so as many people can join in.
This can be done on July 1st, or in that week or repeat this so more and more people know what is going on.
The only way to STOP THE TRAFFIK is to tell people what is happening so that they choose to do something about it.
Act together for those who can’t.
