When I was first asked to research A21 for Milk and Honey’s 2012 charity campaign, I started by following the usual channels, trawling websites, calling telephone contacts and skimming news reports. However, what I soon discovered was a heart-breaking story of human suffering on an entirely unknown scale…
1. BECAUSE…Human trafficking is the 2nd largest global organised criminal industry, worth 31.6 billion USD. Its perpetrators condemn 27 million victims to modern day slavery.
2. BECAUSE…THE WORLD IS NOT AWARE. Like most people, I was wholly ignorant that the scale of human trafficking in Europe is unparalleled anywhere else in the world.
- 25% of victims are trafficked from Southern and Eastern Europe.
- 90% of victims entering European Union states end up in the sex industry.
Despite having spent two years living in Greece, I had no idea that it is a primary destination for traffickers or that the Ukraine is one of the largest exporters of women into the international sex industry.
3. BECAUSE…VICTIMS ARE JUST LIKE YOU. The vast majority of sex trafficking victims are young women. The videos below are two of the first victim testimonies that I came across. They tell the stories of Maria and Natalia.
I first played the videos during a study group at a coffee shop. Almost instantly the din of chattering latte drinkers was silenced. The faces of the women around me had all changed to expressions of outraged horror. They each saw themselves in Maria and Natalia and so do I.
Watch Natalia’s story here
But there are thousands of women with stories like these, who have been deceived into leaving their homes with the promise of a better life abroad.
Like Maria and Natalia, many suffer atrocities including rape, physical violence, threats, being confined to unsanitary living conditions, forced abortion, sleep deprivation and the contraction of STIs like AIDS and hepatitis. Only 1-2% of these women are rescued and 80% receive no assistance after repatriation…they are soon re-trafficked and suffer all over again.
4. BECAUSE…WE CAN BE THEIR FREEDOM
With the help of people just like you, A21 can rescue victims and help them rebuild their lives.
The A21 Crisis Care Shelter is safe haven offering protection and support to victims. The shelter provides medical care, legal services, life skills and trauma rehabilitation. Victims can then move on to the A21 Transition Programme, which offers assistance with accommodation and living expenses and vocational training.
As always, prevention is better than cure. The A21 School Prevention Program aims to spread awareness of trafficking and make potential victims mindful of the risks. A21 also helps to ensure that women seeking work abroad have access to information from legitimate agencies.
5. BECAUSE…INJUSTICE MUST BE STOPPED, BECAUSE…TOGETHER WE CAN ABOLISH SLAVERY
Spread the Word: Create awareness about trafficking through your blog, videos and youtube posts. You can also download posters at www.callandresponse.com or start an Awareness Group in your area.
Lobby Politicians: Find out how to contact your local MP at www.polarisproject.org.
Be an A21 Hero: Check out fundraising ideas at http://www.thea21campaign.org/
Be a walking billboard in an Unlock Freedom T Shirt
Wear your support on your sleeve with a Because bracelet
Become a Volunteer or Intern: Volunteers can become involved in a whole range of areas including research, web design, photography and graphic arts.
Donate: All donations go towards the costs of housing victims, providing legal aid and medical support.
Sponsor those at risk: You can prevent women falling victim to traffickers by sponsoring the most vulnerable members of society at www.compassion.com
Educate Yourself: A21 lists a whole range of books and films about human trafficking and you can visit the A21 newsroom at http://www.thea21campaign.org/news
*For the protection of victims of human trafficking in the care of THE A21 CAMPAIGN, names and personal details pertaining to specific cases are always changed.
Written by Laura Shaw