blogs – Stop Trafficking

A COAT OF MANY COLOURS

admin — Sun, 07 Dec 2025 23:59:56 +0000

Human Trafficking – Multifaith Zoom event 29 November 2025

A COAT OF MANY COLOURS

In Thomas Hardy’s novel The Mayor of Casterbridge (1886) a drunk young farm labourer has a row with his wife and auctions her off to another man. The novel tells how his youthful act comes back to torment him twenty years later at the height of his successful business career. A tragic sequence of events follows, leading to his impoverishment and death. Thomas Hardy took his readers on a painful journey, as the story unfolds and they come to realise the horrific consequences of that initial act of human trafficking. Hardy wrote about what he called ‘the persistence of the unforeseen’. The trafficking of human beings, a crime as old as human civilisation itself, leads to consequences not just unforeseen but totally unseen, a dark world of hidden slavery, of injury pain and disease of hazardous forced labour, of guilt, post traumatic stress and self harm, of isolation rejection poverty and immigration insecurity. That’s why I agreed to come along this evening to join with this broad coalition of speakers.

For Jews, Christians and Muslims the story of human trafficking begins with the ancient story of Joseph. In the Bible’s account his hateful brothers said as they spotted him walking towards them: ‘Look the dreamer cometh: let us kill him… and say an evil beast has eaten him.’ (Genesis 37:19-20). But they didn’t kill him: they stripped him of the ketonet passim /coat of many colours which his father had made for him, threw him into a pit, and then sold him to passing traders. He was taken down into Egypt and sold as a slave. It wasn’t just his colourful cloak which he lost, but the colours of his life. He was a victim of sexual exploitation too. Human trafficking and slavery robs people of their dignity, their liberty, their ability to earn, their culture, often their language, their family, their relationships, and even their faith. In a sense we all wear a coat of many colours but such adversity reduces people to a monochrome colourless existence. Joseph somehow managed to maintain his high ethical standards and his faith. And that helped him to triumph over adversity. He was brought up from prison to interpret Pharaoh’s dreams and became the ruler of Egypt, second only to Pharaoh himself.

Keith Best mentioned the plight of the Uyghurs. When I first heard of what was happening to them I could scarcely believe that a million people were being held in re-education camps in the West of China, robbed of their individuality, their ancient cultural ways, and their Muslim faith. Their plight goes back to the 1950s, with communist indoctrination under Chairman Mao, and many were held in labour camps even back in the 1960s. But it is much worse now as their distinctive way of life has been systematically destroyed. The re-education camps were legalised by China in 2018. Not even the US Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act of 2021 has been effective. I know, because I’ve tried, that it is all but impossible not to buy Chinese goods. For many items, there are no alternatives and even where there are, retailers often fail to state where an item is made. Twice I have fasted for a day during Ramadan in solidarity with them, mindful that they are even prohibited from fasting. Traditionally Uyghurs wear colourful costumes, some of them involving many colours, linking them with the story of Joseph.

I first found out about their plight from the UK Human Rights organisation René Cassin, named after the French Jewish lawyer who was co-author of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Jewish ethics and scholars have played a major role in developing and giving legal frameworks to human rights. That’s because our tradition emphasises we are all made in the image of God, who taught us impartiality in justice, fair treatment of workers, and protection of the vulnerable, and also because of our history as victims of persecution, enslaved in ancient Egypt. As Jews when we recite Birkat HaMazon/ Thanksgiving after meals we thank God for p’ditanu mibbeit avadim / redeeming us from the camp of slavery. We never forget our people’s origin as slaves.

Sadly, making rules and passing laws hasn’t worked. In 2000 the United Nations adopted the Palermo Protocol to Prevent Trafficking. On this 25^th anniversary of that protocol, the Helen Bamber foundation has published a brief review: there is an overemphasis on the criminal justice and law enforcement responses to trafficking, rather than taking direct action. Governments lose sight of the causes of exploitation, including global inequality and a lack of safe and legal migration. Helen Bamber was another remarkable Jew. She worked with Holocaust Survivors in Germany and helped to establish Amnesty International and the Medical Foundation for the Care of Victims of Torture. Every where you look, Jews have been in the forefront of this work, because our beliefs, our ethical values and our history all demand it.

So legal frameworks have not done enough and enforcement too often harms the victims more than the perpetrators. Laws cannot work without factory inspectors. The care for the elderly sector, mega building projects and even digital piece work all leave workers open to exploitation.

Back in 2014, following condemnation in the UK media ten UK supermarkets began to address issues of forced labour in Thai fishing supply lines. The 2015 Modern Slavery Act encouraged these efforts. But in 2025, if you look at the tuna industry, you would think there is more concern for the welfare of the fish than the welfare of the workers.

But the role of faith communities is positive. Catholic Network Against Human Trafficking in the Philippines. Hindu charities helping Temple workers in India, Islamic scholars in Pakistan have condemned forced labour there, and Jews have worked on supply chain ethics. Faith groups have a moral authority, local trust and a long term presence. We are in the lead and we must stay in the lead: there is so much work to do. It has been a honour to speak to you this evening, and to help to shine a little light into a very dark place in our world.

Rabbi Dr Michael Hilton, 29^th November 2025

A comprehensive approach to combating Modern Slavery: the next steps

admin — Sun, 07 Dec 2025 23:54:55 +0000

A comprehensive approach to combating Modern Slavery: the next steps

Speech by Keith Best to webinar 29 November 2025

In order to combat modern slavery we need to be clear about its complexity and the many various forms it takes in our troubled world. I have been to India and observed the rag-pickers, the children who roam the streets looking for discarded scraps of cloth that can be made into garments once enough is assembled, we have seen on film the children in the wider Indian sub-continent who work in the tanneries and stitch shoes as well as being involved, working by candlelight, in delicate work where the dexterity of young hands is essential. In other parts of the world modern slavery takes on different forms: for the Uyghur it is forced labour camps and the extinction of their culture akin to the re-education camps we saw under the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia. Then there is the appalling obscenity of trafficking girls for prostitution often with the promise that they will be working in hospitality or as shop assistants.

The Global Slavery Index, from the Walk Free Foundation in Australia, defines slavery as “situations of exploitation that a person cannot refuse or leave because of threats, violence, coercion, abuse of power or deception”. Modern forms of slavery can include debt bondage, where a person is forced to work without pay to satisfy a debt, child slavery, forced marriage, domestic servitude and forced labour, where victims are made to work through violence and intimidation. In a report on 31 May 2016 the BBC concentrated on five areas such as the seafood industry where thousands of people are trafficked and forced to work on fishing boats, where they can be kept for years without ever seeing the shore, about 3,000 children from Vietnam alone thought to be working in British cannabis farms and nail bars, the International Labour Organization’s estimate that there are 4.5 million victims of forced sexual exploitation, the many children across Europe, Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Middle East who are forced to beg on the streets by criminals and what the BBC called “behind closed doors” in which domestic slaves are being exploited in our own very neighbourhoods.

Anti-Slavery International adds forced and early marriages and those born into slavery to the list. Walk Free’s Global Slavery Index lists the 10 countries with the highest prevalence of modern slavery as North Korea, Eritrea, Mauritania, Saudi Arabia, Türkiye, Tajikistan, United Arab Emirates, Russia, Afghanistan and Kuwait and states that four of the five world regions — Africa, Arab States, Asia and the Pacific and Europe and Central Asia — are represented in the list of countries with the highest prevalence. In some countries modern slavery is institutionalised. In Eritrea, for example, has the world’s second highest prevalence of modern slavery (9 per cent of the population), representing an estimated 320,000 people. The Eritrean government runs a mandatory national conscription program through which citizens between the ages of 18 and 40 must undertake military service but typically are forced to perform work of a non-military nature.⁷ The length of this national conscription is indefinite, with reports of Eritreans spending decades in service of the government.

All this sets a dilemma for organisations like ours wishing to end this continuing indictment on humanity. Where to start first or must we conduct our campaigns on a broad front? Take child labour: to ban the use of children condemns them and their families to starvation whereas tolerating it in its fullest extend condemns them to a continuing life of slavery, never able to escape from it. We should applaud the increasing numbers of employers who can be persuaded to allow children time off to study and improve themselves with the greater prospect of securing better and more remunerative work. We should concentrate on encouraging this. Although it may not end child exploitation overnight it creates an opportunity for them while enabling them still to feed themselves and their families. We should take a different approach, however, where governments either condone or themselves practice modern slavery. For them we should employ the full capacity of sanctions, banning imports of goods and services obtained through modern slavery and exposing them politically to universal moral obloquy. I fear that for many countries their own narrow commercial interests prevent this being applied – so it is not just the countries from which such goods and services come but also those who purchase them who should be put under the spotlight.

I have set out previously our four-point approach which is, first, to draw up a list and then write or otherwise communicate to certain domestic suppliers of goods and services a request that they publish overtly either on items they supply or in some other generic way a statement that they can certify that such items have not been produced using modern slavery. This would be the kite mark. We do not want to impose added unnecessary burdens on businesses but we should seek to persuade them that this is in their own best interests of marketing their products in the way in which it is now compulsory to state on labels the contents of foodstuffs etc. A further approach would be to collective representative organisations such as the CBI, Federation of Small Businesses, Institute of Directors etc, not least to get them on our side and them to persuade their members.

A corollary and the second of our four-point approaches is the engage with the general public: to get them interested in purchasing goods and services that are certified as being free from modern slavery, to invite those who are shareholders of public companies to attend their AGMs and otherwise engage with them in the same way that environmentalists and others are doing over company attitudes towards carbon emissions etc. By encouraging the general public to take such an interest will reinforce our message to companies that it is in their commercial interests to certify that they are not, however inadvertently, engaged in modern slavery. It is also a way of gaining greater publicity for the general campaign.

Thirdly, we must identify and work with other existing organisations that are seeking to combat modern slavery, not least so that we can co-ordinate our activities and not merely duplicate them. This is all about building a coalition of like-minded organisations to bring about change which is so much more effective and likely if it is planned in co-operation.

Finally, our fourth limb is to engage with policy makers, Parliamentarians both nationally and internationally to seek to persuade them that regulations should be introduced to require producers to publish “no slavery involved” notices on their products in the same way in which they are required for reasons of health and safety. Hopefully, this may lead not only to domestic legislation in many countries but also an international treaty setting out these objectives.

We now have the excellent 2025 CCLA UK Modern Slavery Benchmark report launched on Thursday 20 November which shows that while companies are improving their compliance with modern slavery regulations, many are not advancing to leadership positions on the issue. Progress includes more companies achieving compliance, but gaps persist in areas like transparency, remediation, and comprehensive risk management. As a result, CCLA is increasing engagement with underperforming companies to encourage improvement.

Unseen, which is a UK charity providing safehouses and support in the community for survivors of trafficking and modern slavery as well as running the UK Modern Slavery & Exploitation Helpline and working with individuals, communities, business, governments, other charities and statutory agencies to stamp out slavery for good has commented on the report. It states that CCLA’s benchmark remains one of the most influential tools for assessing how companies address modern slavery. It evaluates organisations on their compliance with the Modern Slavery Act, alignment with Home Office guidance, and the steps they take to identify, address, and prevent exploitation in their operations and supply chains. Rather than simply checking for the existence of policies, the benchmark looks at how well companies are putting commitments into action. This makes it a valuable source of insight for businesses seeking to understand where they stand. These are the sorts or organisations with whom we should seek to work so that overall, working together, we can move inexorably and comprehensively towards the elimination of modern slavery as our forbears did 200 years ago to rid the world of slavery itself. Theirs and our work on this will never be finished but if we can make significant advances we shall have not only alleviated the suffering of millions but also moved humanity towards a greater civilisation.

END

Breaking the chain: a global analysis of human trafficking…

admin — Sun, 07 Dec 2025 23:48:02 +0000

Speach from Ms Nila Bala

WEBINAR 2025: A COMPLETE AND OUTSTANDING SUCCESS

admin — Wed, 03 Dec 2025 22:46:34 +0000

Blessings to all who participated in the webinar 2025.

Dear Respected Speakers and Participants,
Your presence, your dedication, and your courage made this session truly powerful. The information shared was not just important—it was life-saving. Together, we are building a force that refuses to remain silent in the face of injustice.

We will never stop.
United, we will save the lives of thousands and bring awareness to millions across the world, empowering them to protect themselves from this heinous crime. Let us educate the world about these crimes and the criminals who commit them, so we can safeguard the vulnerable and prevent further harm.

Our mission is clear.
Our resolve is unshakeable.
Together, we will protect, we will uplift, and we will save lives.
SHEIKH, DR RAMZY SECRETARY GENERAL OF SHTWW

Breaking the Silence: Portugal’s Fight Against Human Trafficking

admin — Wed, 03 Dec 2025 19:32:03 +0000

My name is Elsa, and I’m honored to serve as the Portuguese
ambassador for Stop Human Trafficking Worldwide. Before I
begin, I want to express my heartfelt appreciation to all of you—
my colleagues, partners, and fellow advocates. Since joining this
organization in June, I’ve been deeply moved by your wisdom,
your passion, and your unwavering commitment to justice. You
truly inspire me.
Today, more than 50 million people are trapped in systems of
exploitation—forced labor, sexual slavery, domestic servitude.
These are not distant tragedies. They are woven into our global
supply chains, our migration routes, and even our neighborhoods.
Victims are stripped of their freedom, dignity, and voice. And far
too often, their suffering remains invisible.
That is why we must break the silence.
Representing Portugal in this global movement is not just an
honor—it is a calling. One that has profoundly transformed my
understanding of justice, dignity, and the power of collective
action.
Portugal is often seen as a peaceful, welcoming nation—small in
size, but rich in culture and community. For many years, I was
aware of the challenges posed by illegal immigration. But when I
began researching the roots and scale of human trafficking in my
own country, I was shocked. The reality was far more disturbing
than I had imagined. I felt compelled to return to Portugal and see
it for myself.
That journey changed me.
I met people whose lives had been shattered by exploitation. I
saw the silent suffering that hides behind closed doors and in
plain sight. And I realized that awareness is only the beginning.
We must move from empathy to action.
That’s why I’ve partnered with two remarkable NGOs doing vital
work on the ground:
• Oikos, based in northern Portugal, focuses on education
and prevention. They work with teachers and secondary
school students, using art as a tool for engagement.
Students create projects that reflect their understanding of
trafficking and then present them to their peers.

This peerto-peer approach has proven incredibly effective in building
awareness and resilience.
• APF, on the other hand, works directly with survivors. They
provide safety, support, and pathways to healing. Their work
reminds us that recovery is possible—and that every
survivor deserves a future free from fear.
Since joining this movement, my journey has been one of
awakening. I’ve moved from confusion to clarity, from distance to
deep engagement. I’ve seen how education, compassion, and
community can transform not just individuals—but entire
societies.
This is a collective fight. And each of us—whether as advocates,
educators, consumers, or policymakers—has a role to play in
dismantling the systems that allow exploitation to thrive.
So to everyone here today: thank you. Your presence is not just
symbolic—it is a powerful act of resistance against one of the
most hideous crimes of our time.
Let us not simply talk about freedom. Let us build it—together.
Thank you

The Consumers of Unethical Goods and Services

admin — Wed, 03 Dec 2025 19:22:58 +0000

Good evening everyone. Today, I want to talk about a crucial but often overlooked link in the chain of human trafficking: the consumer.

When we picture trafficking, we tend to imagine traffickers, criminal networks, or victims themselves. But human trafficking—whether for labour or sex—does not survive on supply alone. It survives on demand. And that demand ultimately traces back to us: the people who buy products, use services, or, in the case of sex trafficking, those who exploit vulnerable individuals directly.

Human trafficking is a multibillion-dollar global industry. Its reach is wide: from the fields where our food is grown, to the factories where our clothes are made, to the hotels where we vacation. And just as forced labour fuels cheap goods, sex trafficking survives because there is a market of buyers who are willing to pay to exploit another human being. This is what I particularly wanted to place an emphasis on tonight.

Sex trafficking is often portrayed as something happening in dark corners, far from everyday life. But the reality is that it exists in cities, suburbs, and small towns across the world. Traffickers rarely advertise in ways that make their crimes obvious. Instead, they disguise exploitation within commercial sex industries—escort services, illicit massage businesses, online ads—where buyers may choose not to ask questions, or choose to ignore the signs of coercion.

But here is the key point: Without buyers, there is no sex trafficking market. The people who pay for commercial sex create the economic incentive that traffickers rely on. Whether the buyer realizes it or not, their money can be directly fuelling coercion, violence, and the exploitation of people who often have no ability to refuse.

As consumers—whether of goods made with forced labour, or of services that may hide sex trafficking—our choices send powerful messages.

So what can we do?

First, we must recognize our influence. Consumers are not powerless; we shape the markets that traffickers try to exploit. The more we educate ourselves about industries vulnerable to trafficking, the better equipped we are to make ethical decisions.

Second, when it comes to sex trafficking, it is vital to understand that end-users are not a separate issue—they are a central cause. Many anti-trafficking organizations now focus on reducing demand through education, accountability, and community awareness. Supporting these efforts is one way ordinary people can help disrupt the cycle. Education/awareness about the ethics of paid-for sex and even helping the “consumer” to regain personal integrity is another aspect to explore.

Third, we can push for transparency—supporting companies, policies, and initiatives that trace supply chains and require accountability. And in our own communities, we can help raise awareness about the signs of sexual exploitation and encourage conversations that challenge harmful cultural norms around buying sex.

Finally, we must stop thinking of trafficking as someone else’s problem. It is a shared responsibility. Every purchase, every click, every service used is a vote—for exploitation or against it.

Human trafficking is maintained not just by criminals, but by demand. When consumers choose ethically, when communities reject the exploitation of vulnerable people, and when buyers of commercial sex are held accountable, the chain weakens. And when enough people act, the chain breaks.

Thank you.

Martin Weightman

Programs-Speakers-Biography & Title of their speach

admin — Wed, 03 Dec 2025 19:08:35 +0000

Programs-Speakers-Biography & Title of their speach

Awakening Humanity: Healing the Roots of Modern Slavery

admin — Tue, 02 Dec 2025 20:22:55 +0000

Speaker:
Honorable Vincenzo Forino – Ambassador Stop Human Trafficking Worldwide
Oxford November 29, 2025
In the name of God, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful.
Dear friends, brothers, and sisters in humanity,
today we gather not only to discuss a global crime, but to face a deeper truth a wound in our collective soul that we can no longer ignore.
Modern slavery and human trafficking are not only violations of human rights; they are symptoms of a deeper illness: the disconnection of human beings from their own humanity.
Facing the Reality
According to the latest global reports, more than 50 million people are trapped in modern slavery today forced labor, sexual exploitation, child trafficking, and forced marriages.
Behind every number is a life, a story, a heartbeat.
And when we look to the most authoritative data, the picture becomes even more alarming.
The UNODC Global Report on Trafficking in Persons 2024 records 74,785 victims identified in 2022, an increase of 25% compared to 2019.
UNODC warns, however, that this is only the tip of the iceberg, because most victims especially minors remain invisible.
This rise reflects both better identification and the worsening global landscape: economic crises, forced migration, and the growing digitalization of criminal networks.
At the same time, the broader reality of modern slavery reveals an even deeper tragedy.
In 2021, an estimated 49.6 million people were living in slavery-like conditions:
27.6 million in forced labor,
22 million in forced marriages.
One in four 12.3 million is a child.
Among minors:
– 9 million girls are trapped in forced marriages;
– 1.6 million suffer sexual exploitation;
– 1.3 million are forced into labor or criminal activities;
– 320,000 endure state-imposed labor.
Children are increasingly at the center of this global tragedy.
In 2022, 38% of victims of trafficking were minors.
Since 2019, the number of child victims has grown by 31%.
In Sub-Saharan Africa, minors now outnumber adults among identified victims.
In Central America and the Caribbean, girls are disproportionately trafficked for sexual exploitation.
In North Africa and the Middle East, nearly 15% of victims are forced into begging and almost all of them are children.
These are not statistics.
These are human souls whose innocence has been stolen.
Healing the Inner Roots
If we truly wish to eliminate slavery, we must look not only at the systems that sustain it, but at the consciousness that allows it to exist.
Slavery begins in the mind before it manifests in the world.
It starts when we stop seeing another human being as sacred.
To heal the roots of modern slavery, we must heal our disconnection from empathy, from compassion, from our divine essence.
Awakening humanity means recovering our capacity to feel, to care, to act with integrity.
It means transforming indifference into awareness, and awareness into compassionate action.
From Awareness to Action
This is where our mission begins.
Organizations like Stop Human Trafficking Worldwide work every day to raise awareness, build protection networks, support survivors, and educate communities.
But the truth is: we all have a role.
Every time we educate our children to respect life…
Every time we choose ethically produced goods…
Every time we speak out against injustice…
we weaken the chains that still hold millions captive.
Changing the world begins with changing ourselves
with choosing compassion over convenience,
and conscience over silence.
Building Awareness Where It Matters Most
If we truly wish to end modern slavery, we must prevent people from becoming victims.
And prevention begins where vulnerability begins:
in villages, in neighborhoods, in families, and in the hearts of those who face despair.
We must invest in education, training, and awareness programs in the communities where trafficking takes root.
Let us help potential victims build their future where they live, so they do not fall into the hands of criminals who promise false dreams abroad.
The world is full of people who left home seeking hope, only to find themselves trapped in exploitation.
Let us reach them before they leave.
Let us give them the tools, the knowledge, and the spiritual strength to recognize manipulation and defend their dignity.
Education is not just learning skills.
It is awakening self-worth.
And when people know their worth, they become unbreakable.
The Role of Stop Human Trafficking Worldwide
At Stop Human Trafficking Worldwide, we believe that true change begins when awareness becomes coordinated action.
Our vision is a global network of prevention based on knowledge, compassion, and empowerment.
We work to:
• support education in high-risk regions;
• build awareness among vulnerable groups;
• collaborate with local and spiritual communities;
• and promote micro-development so people can build their future in their own country.
Through these actions, we begin to heal not only the victims but the environments where victimization is born.
Prevention is compassion in action.
And every seed of awareness becomes a seed of freedom.
A Call to Conscience
We cannot fight darkness with anger but we can dissolve it with light.
The light of truth.
The light of compassion.
The light of a humanity that remembers who it truly is.
Our greatest power is not in the laws we enforce,
but in the love we embody.
Because love when awakened becomes the strongest force of liberation.
So let this gathering be a promise:
a promise to awaken,
to act,
and to heal together.
A promise to defend the right of every human being
to live free,
to dream,
and to walk this Earth in dignity.
May peace, mercy, and divine blessings be upon you all.
May our awareness become action,
and our compassion become freedom
for every soul still waiting to be free.

WEBINAR PROGRAM 2025

admin — Tue, 02 Dec 2025 20:16:33 +0000

WEBINAR PROGRAM 2025

Amir Ohadi

admin — Tue, 02 Dec 2025 19:21:51 +0000

Modern Slavery and Global Warming - By Honerable Amir Ohadi

Modern Slavery and Global Warming — Why Transparent Supply Chains Matter

Modern Slavery and Global Warming:
Why Transparent Supply Chains Matter

Amir Ohadi — 29 Nov 2025

Our Purpose

We gather for the sake of humanity

“God is with those whose hearts are broken”

Standing with the vulnerable and oppressed

Serving humanity to honour God

Modern Slavery & Climate Pressure

Modern slavery persists globally

Deeply embedded in supply chains

Climate change increases vulnerability

Exploited people and planet suffer together

Transparency is essential

Why Transparency Matters

A powerful tool for justice

Reveals hidden exploitation

Enables action from regulators & investors

First step toward accountability

The UK Model: Strengths & Gaps

Modern Slavery Act 2015 (Section 54)

Requires annual statements

Encourages deeper supply chain mapping

Gaps: no penalties, weak enforcement, not mandatory

The EU Model: Accountability

CSDDD: identify & prevent risks

Mitigate and remediate harms

Integrate due diligence into business

Fines & civil liability

Forced Labour Regulation blocks tainted products

Why This Matters

“What gets measured gets managed”

Risk mapping drives action

Mobilises wider stakeholders

Transparency must pair with enforcement

Transparency isn’t an endpoint — it’s the starting line for accountability, enforcement, and meaningful remediation.

Our Role: Stop Human Trafficking

Worldwide CIC — Things we do to create impact:

Raise awareness and educate communities

Advocate for stronger laws

Support vulnerable groups

Soft-monitor company statements

Encourage responsibility beyond compliance

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