Campaign launched to stamp out sex slavery

A GLOBAL campaign called Stop the Traffik, which plans to raise awareness and stop women and young girls being sold into sex slavery, was launched in Brussels yesterday.

It aims to raise awareness around the world about the trade that is now the third-largest money earner for criminals.

Already working in a number of countries, Stop the Traffik was launched by Fine Gael MEP Simon Coveney.

He said: “In the same way that the Make Poverty History campaign successfully raised the issue of debt relief, fair trade and development aid, I hope that Stop the Traffik will raise awareness about the trafficking in human beings and in particular forced child prostitution”.

Stop the Traffik is a global coalition working to help stop the sale of people, to prosecute traffickers and to protect the victims of human trafficking.

It works to raise awareness in the general public about the problem of human trafficking at a time when up to 100,000 women are trafficked into Europe every year to work in the sex industry.

The organisation believes people in both the source and receiving countries should be educated about the phenomenon that sees about a million people trafficked across borders throughout the world annually.

It will also help finance grassroots anti-trafficking projects around the world.

Currently, a number of groups are raising awareness among sports followers about prostitution during the World Cup in Germany this summer.

Reports suggest that an additional 40,000 women and girls could be trafficked into Germany and forced to work as prostitutes during the games.

Mr Coveney said: “People should know that if they pay for sex the person they hire may have been trafficked or forced into prostitution.

“We must concentrate on reducing the demand for prostitutes and in doing so decrease the numbers of primarily young girls being trafficked into the sex industry.

“Human trafficking is a modern day form of slavery. It’s the third largest source of income for international organised crime, after trafficking in drugs and arms.”

The Stop the Traffik campaign is working towards a Freedom Day on March 25, 2007.

Raising awareness is a key factor for Stop the Traffik and the campaign will include education and information packs for schools, colleges and youth groups.

* For more information see www.stopthetraffik.org

Jaya’s story

JAYA was one of six young girls bundled away to Bangalore to work as housemaids.

Her parents were paid a small sum of money as immediate compensation with the promise of more to come. Jaya was happy at the thought of being of help to her family - now her brothers and sisters would have food to eat.

On reaching Bangalore, Jaya was taken to a large mansion with imposing gates and the journey was to be her last taste of life outside the compound for several years to come.

It was here that she was brutally initiated into the sex trade by the “kind gentleman” who had promised her a job and here that over the years she was used by so many men.

Even now, sometime after her rescue, the memories are so disturbing that most remain locked inside her - she never speaks of them.