Launch: SPOT THE TRAFFIK
WHAT DOES A PERSON WHO HAS BEEN TRAFFICKED LOOK LIKE? SPOT THE TRAFFIK: A tool to equip community members and frontline professionals to identify and help victims of trafficking. A local authority employee may be the only person to enter a house and see someone who is trapped and being exploited. STOP THE TRAFFIK has … Read more
#2 – The Argument for Ethical Consumption
In the first post of this series, we looked at the most common counter-argument to ethical living – that it’s too expensive. The more aware you become of Certified products, the more you realise that Certification is not restricted to luxury items. There are, however, further cries of protest that can be made… so let’s … Read more
Focus On: Domestic Servitude
In Greek mythology, the hero Hercules defeated the many-headed Hydra, which grew two new heads for each one he chopped off, using a firebrand and a golden sword given to him by Athena. Human trafficking, a global, many-headed crime, is our modern-day Hydra. It takes many forms – from sex trafficking to forced labour to … Read more
#1 – The Argument for Ethical Consumption
Recession-hit, saddled with student debt and no hope in hell of a job, the last thing on the mind of a young graduate such as myself might be spending a bit extra to help an unknown, unseen cocoa farmer… But does it actually cost more? If you’ve come across STOP THE TRAFFIK before you … Read more
Bad Romance?
It’s that time of year again, when the world turns pink with sentimental cards, heart-shaped chocolates and long-stemmed roses. Happy Valentines Day! Whether you swoon with satisfaction or retch with repulsion at the thought of Valentine’s Day, it’s hard to deny that these days, it’s taken on a life of its own. According to some … Read more
An Exciting New Project…
We’re happy to announce a new project from STOP THE TRAFFIK in the UK… Along with our partners at Sea Communications, we’ve been selected by the UK government to develop new victim-centred training tools for frontline professionals to better identify and report human trafficking. Congratulations to NSPCC, Eaves, Thames Reach and the Counter Trafficking Bureau who have also … Read more
Slavery: Can You Spot It Outside the Cinema?
Have you been to the cinema lately? If so, there are a few syllables that won’t have escaped your attention. Lincoln and Django – two big budget films on slavery, from some of the biggest names in Hollywood (Spielberg and Tarantino). A great boost to public awareness, right? Well, not exactly. With all this buzz about the … Read more
Babies, Brides and The Everyday Demand for Human Trafficking
I do love a good urban myth. You can usually spot them a mile off. You know, the kind of story that you desperately want to be true because it makes for a fantastic mental picture- like the idea that Isaac Newton discovered gravity via a falling apple, or that the world would be put … Read more
The Delhi Murder Trials: A Death and a Wake-Up Call
‘Eve teasing’. When I first heard the expression, it sounded like some kind of children’s game or innocuous mischief, like blowing a raspberry or pulling at someone’s pigtails. In India, the term has darker associations – a common euphemism for public sexual harassment of women; a theme which has made headlines recently with the trial … Read more
Christmas Message from Ruth Dearnley, STOP THE TRAFFIK CEO
Christmas Message from Ruth Dearnley, STOP THE TRAFFIK CEO Dear friends A GIFT BOX ISN’T JUST FOR CHRISTMAS There’s so much to tell you and thank you for what you have helped us achieve through your words, actions and donations. GIFT box The past year has been full of many surprises for STOP THE TRAFFIK. … Read more
Women of Strength
Women of the world! STOP THE TRAFFIK invites you on a journey to help prevent human trafficking internationally. We are offering 8 – 12 days in India with the unique opportunity: To experience and contribute to STOP THE TRAFFIK’s preventative work in India To learn about human trafficking To put your experience into action on … Read more
The Business of Trafficking: Risks and Rewards
It’s an old cliché for businesses to talk about people being “our greatest assets”. Many a Human Resources department will wax lyrical on this point, to win the best recruits and, in turn, the highest profit margins. Whether or not you buy into the cliché, there’s one area in which it holds true… Human trafficking. According … Read more
Mondelēz announces $400m investment in sustainable cocoa
STOP THE TRAFFIK welcomes yesterday’s announcement from Mondelēz that they will be investing $400 million over ten years to help people in cocoa farming communities. This has the potential to change the lives of children being exploited, and to prevent children being trafficked onto cocoa plantations in the Ivory Coast in future. Whilst welcoming such … Read more
Dr Kraft and Mr Mondelēz?
ATTENTION SHOPPERS… The name Kraft that you know so well from being stamped on all kinds of popular foodstuffs, from Dairylea cheese to Dairy Milk chocolate, has decided to do some shape shifting. The artist formerly known as Kraft, who seem reluctant to clean up their trafficking-friendly cocoa supply chains in the Ivory Coast, have … Read more
PCC, easy as 1-2-3
Allo, allo, allo… Just one day until PCC elections take place across most of the UK! Regarded by some as ‘the biggest shake-up in years’ for UK policing, the elections are certainly sparking debate, with many questioning the allegiance of candidates, who are typically aligned with political parties. Partisan politics aside, the PCC elections pose … Read more
Castles, Cannabis and Constables: The PCC Elections
They say that “an Englishman’s home is his castle”. I don’t know what you think of when you hear the word castle. For me it awakens memories of drizzly days walking around remote fortresses with huge unfriendly walls and neat, lavish interiors. The sort of place where you could live in undisturbed solitude for years … Read more
Where does the buck stop?
The stark link between big business and human trafficking was hard to ignore this week in the Guardian report of ‘trafficked and beaten’ workers collecting chickens for Freedom foods. In a joint operation between Kent police, the GLA and the Serious Organised Crime Agency 30 Lithuanian workers were liberated from a gangmaster company in Kent. … Read more
The Dark Side of Asparagus
It’s a funny thing, isn’t it, living in the age of search engines. Today, I was able to pop online and find myself an instantaneous expert on – of all things – asparagus. By contrast, if you’d quizzed me this morning on this rather niche topic, I could have told you two things about it: … Read more
Anti-slavery day and Travis Bickle…connect the dots
Only one more sleep till anti-slavery day! Hopefully you’re all geared up and ready to join with us for this global day of action to combat trafficking. If the above picture has thrown you into a blind panic wondering WHAT on earth STOP THE TRAFFIK is asking of its activists, then take a breath and … Read more
Obama throws the spotlight on Human Trafficking
When I called Obama and asked if he would mention human trafficking in his address, I didn’t know if he would go for it, but he did agree to the BBQ a week on Sunday. However, it went out there, and three cheers went up in the office as the president of the United States … Read more
Get Krafty!
As many of you will be aware, we have launched a new campaign as part of our on-going commitment to end child trafficking in the chocolate industry. We’re starting with Kraft, the world’s largest buyer of cocoa, and owners of the iconic Toblerone bar. We’re summoning all you anti-trafficking activists to help us create a … Read more
The stories behind the stats
Human Trafficking has many faces. Every day people become trapped into situations of exploitation akin to slavery. They arrive there through deception or force; taken against their will and sold into any and every industry you can think of. Perhaps you have become a bit lost in a swirl of statistics. We can bandy around … Read more
Upcoming internship opportunity
STOP THE TRAFFIK is now recruiting for our Autumn/Winter internship position beginning in mid October. Our internships run on a voluntary basis for four months at our London office either full or part-time. As a current intern I can offer you an inside look into what it means to work in the STOP THE TRAFFIK … Read more
Proud nominees of a Charity Times award!
As the Olympic flame is extinguished and our champions hang up their Team GB gear, here at STOP THE TRAFFIK we’re just getting warmed up and we’re in the running for an accolade of a different kind. We’re excited to announce that STOP THE TRAFFIK has been shortlisted for the Charity Times Big … Read more
Let’s put them out of business
People don’t get out of bed to traffik other people. They get out of bed to make money. And so whilst various factors such as poverty and inequality undoubtedly make an individual more vulnerable to being trafficked, the primary cause of human trafficking is the fact that there are people out there willing to exploit … Read more
Are you an influential person?
Don’t think so? Think again. Every one of us, whether or not we realise it, has numerous spheres of influence that we can use to make a difference. The Ripple Effect… Every day, the conversations and knowledge we share are passed on to others. Every time someone talks about human trafficking, the message will resonate … Read more
Going for Gold in the Fight against Trafficking
The Olympic Games are now in full swing and GIFT box is creating a stir on the streets of London! Whilst Team GB has been doing us proud, STOP THE TRAFFIK has also had some winning results. Amongst the crowds, our fantastic teams of volunteers have been engaging with members of the public from all … Read more
Competing for your attention during the Olympics…
Walking through the streets of London, you can almost taste the Olympic excitement in the air! But as athletes and spectators prepare for this historical event, other men, women and children are being coerced into coming to the UK on the promise of a brighter future, only to find themselves trafficked into exploitation. It is … Read more
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
NESTLE’S PROMISES: NOTHING NEW.
Having failed basic checks on their supply chain, Nestle have announced once again that putting an end to child labour and abuse in the chocolate industry is a top priority. Didn’t they say that 10 years ago?… Watch what our founder, Steve Chalke, has to say about Nestle’s news this weekend
