MODERN DAY SLAVERY IS THE:
Exploitation of Human Beings for Profit
Soroptimist International recognises that human trafficking and modern day slavery violates and impairs human rights and fundamental freedoms and continues to pose a serious challenge to humanity.
Members of Soroptimist International of Chester Stand up for Women against Trafficking and Modern Day Slavery – a serious and hidden crime in which people are exploited for criminal gain. Latest estimates suggest that there are over 45 million people in slavery globally and it is one of the main themes of the work of the UK Programme Action Committee (UKPAC).
This work comes under the umbrella of the UN Sustainable Goals:
5: Gender Equality and:
16: Peace and Justice – with several targets to be achieved linked to both goals.
Women and girls are particularly vulnerable to trafficking and as members of Soroptimist International we work to:
- Educate women and girls about human trafficking to assist in prevention efforts
- Empower victims/survivors to rebuild their lives, and, where possible, to become advocates working to end all forms of modern day slavery
- Enable increased victim identification in both visible and hidden settings through widespread community awareness campaigns
We have been active in a number of ways.
- We have sought to educate ourselves by attending seminars and conferences on the subjects of Slavery and Trafficking and we are signed up to The Anti-Slavery Partnership Newsletter (rightslab@nottingham.ac.uk), which gives us access to the most recent resources
- Speakers have attended our Club Meetings
- We have prepared a Power Point Presentation to help others to recognise the signs of MDS and we offer this to other clubs and organisations within the community.
- We are active in our community on Anti Slavery Day (18th October) and we support the Soroptimist Purple Teardrop Campaign. Through them we have lobbied our Local Authority to place ‘Help Me’ stickers in the public toilets in Chester, for the benefit of women who may be suffering from abuse and/or have been trafficked.
- We have recently lobbied the Police and Crime Commissioner about the lack of funding to reconvene meetings of the Cheshire Anti-Slavery Network, which further informs our work.
- We are currently looking at posters to place in Charity Shops and Fast Food Outlets throughout the City and are also checking that local hotels have current statements with regard to Ethical Supply Chains on their websites.
