Stop the Traffik
Encyclopedia
STOP THE TRAFFIK was founded in 2006 by Steve Chalke
MBE as a campaign coalition which aims to bring an end to human trafficking
worldwide. Initially STOP THE TRAFFIK was set up as a two year campaign to coincide with the bicentenary of the abolition of the slave trade. The campaign intended to:
A highlight of the campaign was "Freedom Day" on March 25, 2007, marking the bicentenary of the abolition of transatlantic slavery
. Thousands of people of all ages brought awareness to the streets of their communities all around the world.
The campaign culminated in the delivery of a million and a half petition at the United Nations
first ever global forum to combat trafficking. Numerous high profile celebrities as well as over 200 Members of the European Parliament have signed the declaration.
With the success of a growing global movement STOP THE TRAFFIK became an independent international charity in 2008 and Steve Chalke, Chair of STOP THE TRAFFIK, was appointed UN Special Advisor On Community Action Against Trafficking.
In November 2008, STOP THE TRAFFIK hosted the first ever International People's Lecture on Human Trafficking in London, UK. The event featured speakers including international human rights lawyer Cherie Booth QC, Antonio Maria Costa
, Executive Director of United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime
(UNODC), and Steve Chalke, Founder of STOP THE TRAFFIK.
, particularly The Ivory Coast, which together produces over a thrird of the world’s cocoa. The campaign has seen some success, with several major chocolate manufacturers agreeing to adopt Fairtrade or Rainforest Alliance
cocoa. Some of those who have announced this switch since the campaign began: Mars
have pledged to make their Galaxy
bar Traffic Free by 2010, and their global range by 2020; Dutch manufacturer Verkade
committed to 100% Fairtrade cocoa and sugar in their chocolate bars in the Netherlands from autumn 2008; Swiss Noir committed to Fairtrade cocoa in their chocolate bars in the Netherlands from March 2009; Cadbury committed to producing a Fairtrade Dairy Milk
bar in the UK and Ireland
from autumn 2009.
Typical STOP THE TRAFFIK campaign material is often presented like this:
In March 2009 STOP THE TRAFFIK launched its first book titled STOP THE TRAFFIK: People shouldn't be bought and sold, written by Steve Chalke with a chapter by Cherie Blair, the book covers all of the central issues surrounding human trafficking.
Training Programmes can be adapted to suit the specific needs of individual groups, take into account relevant policy and recent developments, and centre on four key areas:
More recently, STOP THE TRAFFIK have launched FREEDOM TICKET FOR LIFE which supports projects in trafficking hot spots. Around the world, girls are less likely to go to school and more likely to be illiterate than their brothers. Less education and training means girls have fewer opportunities to get a job when they are older. This makes girls more vulnerable to being trafficked. The longer a girl is in education the safer she is and the more options she has available about her future afterwards. Currently, the campaign supports projects in Kyrgyzstan, Tansania and Thailand, and gives the opportunity for Child Sponsorship in Thailand, Philippines, Bangladesh, Uganda and India.
FESTIVAL OF FREEDOM is aimed at supporters who may have time off university, work or school, and asks them to use local talent and put on a gig, art exhibition, party, village fair or something completely different to celebrate their holiday whilst fundraising for STOP THE TRAFFIK.
STOP THE TRAFFIK are also heading up a response to the 2012 London Olympic Games. It is their belief that many will be recruited by deception or coercion for exploitation before, during, and after the Games for sexual exploitation, forced labour, and other forms of abuse. In 2011 STOP THE TRAFFIK will host a global summit which provides a platform for world leaders and professional agencies to work with local communities and young people to tackle human trafficking before, during and after the 2012 Olympics. The summit will provide a model that can be replicated in local communities worldwide, linking decision-makers and grassroots activists, creating effective partnerships to prevent human trafficking.
Steve Chalke
Steve Chalke, is an ordained Baptist minister who is a prominent, and often outspoken, Christian leader and social activist based in the UK. He is the author of numerous books and articles as well as a regular presenter and contributor on television and radio programmes...
MBE as a campaign coalition which aims to bring an end to human trafficking
Human trafficking
Human trafficking is the illegal trade of human beings for the purposes of reproductive slavery, commercial sexual exploitation, forced labor, or a modern-day form of slavery...
worldwide. Initially STOP THE TRAFFIK was set up as a two year campaign to coincide with the bicentenary of the abolition of the slave trade. The campaign intended to:
- Educate: create awareness and understanding of people trafficking
- Advocate: engage with those who have the power to minimise the trafficking of people
- Fundraise: Financing anti-trafficking work around the world working with those vulnerable to and those who have been trafficked
A highlight of the campaign was "Freedom Day" on March 25, 2007, marking the bicentenary of the abolition of transatlantic slavery
Slavery
Slavery is a system under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to demand compensation...
. Thousands of people of all ages brought awareness to the streets of their communities all around the world.
The campaign culminated in the delivery of a million and a half petition at the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
first ever global forum to combat trafficking. Numerous high profile celebrities as well as over 200 Members of the European Parliament have signed the declaration.
With the success of a growing global movement STOP THE TRAFFIK became an independent international charity in 2008 and Steve Chalke, Chair of STOP THE TRAFFIK, was appointed UN Special Advisor On Community Action Against Trafficking.
In November 2008, STOP THE TRAFFIK hosted the first ever International People's Lecture on Human Trafficking in London, UK. The event featured speakers including international human rights lawyer Cherie Booth QC, Antonio Maria Costa
Antonio Maria Costa
Antonio Maria Costa was an Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations, appointed, from May 2002 until August 2010, to the positions of Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and Director-General of the United Nations Office in Vienna .-Background:An Italian native,...
, Executive Director of United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime
United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime is a United Nations agency that was established in 1997 as the Office for Drug Control and Crime Prevention by combining the United Nations International Drug Control Program and the Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Division in the United Nations...
(UNODC), and Steve Chalke, Founder of STOP THE TRAFFIK.
STOP THE TRAFFIK's aims
STOP THE TRAFFIK aims to prevent human trafficking, prosecute human traffickers, and protect human trafficking victims. The global movement informs and equips people to do what they can in their local communities to prevent and tackle human trafficking.STOP THE TRAFFIK Chocolate Campaign
Since 2006, STOP THE TRAFFIK have been running a campaign which focuses on ending child trafficking into the cocoa industry. Specific emphasis is on the major cocoa growing nations of West AfricaAfrica
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
, particularly The Ivory Coast, which together produces over a thrird of the world’s cocoa. The campaign has seen some success, with several major chocolate manufacturers agreeing to adopt Fairtrade or Rainforest Alliance
Rainforest Alliance
The Rainforest Alliance is a non-governmental organization with the published aims of working to conserve biodiversity and ensure sustainable livelihoods by transforming land-use practices, business practices and consumer behavior. It is based in New York City, and has offices throughout the...
cocoa. Some of those who have announced this switch since the campaign began: Mars
Mars, Incorporated
Mars, Incorporated is a worldwide manufacturer of confectionery, pet food, and other food products with US$30 billion in annual sales in 2010, and is ranked as the 5th largest privately held company in the United States by Forbes. Headquartered in McLean, unincorporated Fairfax County, Virginia,...
have pledged to make their Galaxy
Dove (chocolate)
Dove is a brand of chocolate made and marketed by the Mars company.- History :...
bar Traffic Free by 2010, and their global range by 2020; Dutch manufacturer Verkade
Verkade
Verkade is a Dutch manufacturing company. The company is headquartered in Zaandam and was one of the oldest existing family companies in the Netherlands until its takeover in 1990 by British United Biscuits, which in turn was taken over in 2006 by Blackstone Group and PAI Partners...
committed to 100% Fairtrade cocoa and sugar in their chocolate bars in the Netherlands from autumn 2008; Swiss Noir committed to Fairtrade cocoa in their chocolate bars in the Netherlands from March 2009; Cadbury committed to producing a Fairtrade Dairy Milk
Dairy Milk
Dairy Milk is a brand of milk chocolate currently manufactured by Cadbury; except in the United States where it is made by The Hershey Company. It was introduced in the United Kingdom in 1905 and now consists of a number of products...
bar in the UK and Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
from autumn 2009.
Typical STOP THE TRAFFIK campaign material is often presented like this:
The truth behind your tasty treats
Over a third of the world's chocolate comes from Cote D'Ivoire, Africa.
It's highly likely that your favourite chocolate bar comes from here.
Thousands of children — from within the Cote D'Ivoire and neighbouring countries — who pick and harvest these beans have been trafficked.
They have had their freedom taken away from them and are forced to work long hours on the cocoa plantations without receiving any money for their work.
In 2001 the ICI (International Cocoa Initiative) was set up as part of the Harkin–Engel Protocol to combat trafficking in the chocolate industry.
Although small scale community projects have been set up, the ICI actually promised to eradicate the worst forms of child labour, including trafficking, by 2005.
- They missed the deadline.
- They then extended the deadline to 2008.
- We are still waiting.
We want the chocolate industry to live up to its promises and give us traffik free chocolate.
Active Communities against Trafficking (ACT)
STOP THE TRAFFIK, are currently running an ongoing community based project called ACT which focuses on community mobilization against human trafficking locally. As STOP THE TRAFFIK state: Trafficking starts in a community and it can be stopped by the community. The project works by communities forming ACT groups, which seek and share knowledge and understanding of trafficking and how it affects their local community. These groups then use this information to proactively respond in order to stop the traffic.Start Freedom
Start Freedom is another STOP THE TRAFFIK project launched in October 2009 and was developed in conjunction with the United Nations and the Serious Organized Crime Agency. It is designed to teach the world about trafficking and consists of educational resources in over 10 languages. START FREEDOM lessons have been downloaded in 97 countries. The campaign encourages people to sign up, promote it to their local schools and interact with others. In March 2010 STOP THE TRAFFIK celebrated START FREEDOM WEEK during which young people shared their freedom adventures with their community through street theatre, film, dance, art, writing and photographs. The world’s first GLOBAL CLASSROOM on Human Trafficking was hosted and saw 180 young people from across 5 continents interact with each other and with experts to learn more about human trafficking and what they could do about it in their communities. The goal is to adapt and expand this project to empower young people in vulnerable groups and communities in low income countries through cooperating with NGOs.Business Travelers Against Trafficking
Business Travelers Against Trafficking aims to inform and educate those who travel internationally to identify and report suspected incidences of trafficking that they see as they travel. The Business Travelers website provides an area in which travelers can report suspicious behavior or activities, can read stories of human trafficking worldwide and can network with one another. In support of this project STOP THE TRAFFIK created and issued Business Traveler wallet cards. These are business card sized and contain the details of major international police agencies as well as details of the Business Travelers website.In March 2009 STOP THE TRAFFIK launched its first book titled STOP THE TRAFFIK: People shouldn't be bought and sold, written by Steve Chalke with a chapter by Cherie Blair, the book covers all of the central issues surrounding human trafficking.
Other activities
STOP THE TRAFFIK’ also run individually designed training programmes designed to be delivered to all manner of professionals and authorities which may come into contact with victims or perpetrators of human trafficking. This training is multi-agency and interactive in nature, is made relevant and applicable to the participants being trained, and is delivered by experienced practitioners.Training Programmes can be adapted to suit the specific needs of individual groups, take into account relevant policy and recent developments, and centre on four key areas:
- What is human trafficking?
- What is being done to tackle human trafficking?
- What are the signs of human trafficking, and how is it reported?
- What can the community do to tackle human trafficking?
More recently, STOP THE TRAFFIK have launched FREEDOM TICKET FOR LIFE which supports projects in trafficking hot spots. Around the world, girls are less likely to go to school and more likely to be illiterate than their brothers. Less education and training means girls have fewer opportunities to get a job when they are older. This makes girls more vulnerable to being trafficked. The longer a girl is in education the safer she is and the more options she has available about her future afterwards. Currently, the campaign supports projects in Kyrgyzstan, Tansania and Thailand, and gives the opportunity for Child Sponsorship in Thailand, Philippines, Bangladesh, Uganda and India.
FESTIVAL OF FREEDOM is aimed at supporters who may have time off university, work or school, and asks them to use local talent and put on a gig, art exhibition, party, village fair or something completely different to celebrate their holiday whilst fundraising for STOP THE TRAFFIK.
STOP THE TRAFFIK are also heading up a response to the 2012 London Olympic Games. It is their belief that many will be recruited by deception or coercion for exploitation before, during, and after the Games for sexual exploitation, forced labour, and other forms of abuse. In 2011 STOP THE TRAFFIK will host a global summit which provides a platform for world leaders and professional agencies to work with local communities and young people to tackle human trafficking before, during and after the 2012 Olympics. The summit will provide a model that can be replicated in local communities worldwide, linking decision-makers and grassroots activists, creating effective partnerships to prevent human trafficking.
Further reading
- Slavery behind Easter Chocolate. BBC News.
- Slavery then & now: putting a face to the number. Christianity Magazine.
- US State Department Trafficking in Persons Report 2009
- UN GIFT
- Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre UK