A few months ago I headr someone speak on trafficking in the UK I had absolutley no idea that it was such a problem, I mean these things don't happen here do they?? Maybe you will be as shocked as I am that children as young as 4 are brought and sold in the UK as slave labour or for the sex industry.
As I watched some of the media presentations my heart broke at hearing the gruesome facts that young women are forced to service 20 men, they are raped for profit. They are threatened, brain washed, tortured, their lives stripped away in the WORSE possible way to make somone else a whole lot of money. I have chosen to ACT!
I now run an Act for Justice group which supports an amazing charitable organisation called HOPE FOR JUSTICE who invesitgate and rescue victims from the abuse of human trafficking as well as campaign at a local, national and international level to ensure that relevant laws on human trafficking are effective in combating the problem. 99% of all those trafficked will never be rescued. I would like you to read the story below and then answer this. Can we really sit and do nothing?
Zoe, worth 200k to her traffickers wanted to work in the UK, she was put in touch with a couple via a friend. The couple said they could find her employment and accomodation and help her find her feet . They collected her from the airport and took her to a place where she thought she as going to be the cleaner. The man left the room and shortly returned with some underwear, "put this on" he said " we need to take pictures of you". The young girl obviously quite shocked said that this wasn't what she expected and that she would not be taking her clothes off. "yes you will" the man replied, "you belong to me now!" A group of men then walked in and raped her.
Walls of fear were placed around her by telling her lies about the police, saying that they would hurt her family, they had taken her passport and she had no where to run.
Hope for Justice invesigators were given some intelligence and in time managed tro make contact with Zoe. The perpetrators know that they have put such fear into the girls that they dropped her off at a hotel not knowing that she was actually going to meet a Hope for Justice negotiator. After 2 hours this person could not convince Zoe to go with them, she was so very fearful for the life of her young sister that she returned to those who trafficked her. Later she was sold on and hope seemed lost but after a long search the team found her again and this time they managed to gain some trust. Zoe was taken to a safe house and it wasn't until later that she realised that this was real she had been rescued..she could lie in bed that night knowing that she was not going to be raped.
If you would like to know more about how to support Hope for Justice and see an end to trafficking please contact me or go to http://www.hopeforjustice.org.uk/
