News

4 / 12 / 2014

SI Stafford Vigil

Stafford Soroptimists held a vigil in the town’s Market Square on 25th November, the UN’s Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. The event was organised in partnership with Staffordshire Women’s Aid.

In addition to highlighting the Purple Teardrop Campaign’s Ban Sex for Sale lobby, the vigil raised the profile of the SOS Save our Refuges campaign.

The vigil had approx 30 supporters who braved the extremely cold evening for these two important causes.

1 / 12 / 2014

Bake Sale Raises £1000

The Purple Teardrop Campaign sincerely thanks Darwin Corporate Solutions in the UK and Holland.

Their superb bake sale today has raised a staggering £1000 for the Purple Teardrop Campaign.

Ladies and gentlemen of Darwin Corporate Solutions, your generosity is amazing – thank you!

22 / 10 / 2014

This is my body, one-woman play, report by Pauline Monk

THIS IS MY BODY – Performance at St James Theatre, Victoria, put on by Ten Ten Theatre Group and The Medaille Trust.

This one-woman play was superbly performed by Agata Jaroszin.  It was the powerful story of a young Romanian woman (Josephine/Sophie)  found working as a prostitute in the UK who showed “reasonable grounds” to suspect that she was a victim of human trafficking.  Via the NRM she is given 45 days to “reflect and recover” in a safe house, which we discover is run by nuns.  Her main contact is Sister Bernadette “you can call me Bernie” who through Sophie’s telling and sometimes humorous narrative, we come to admire for her persistence and efforts to engage with Sophie.

When we meet Sophie she is in her bedroom, sparsely furnished , but she has the key, which is an important symbol of her freedom.   We find that the crucifix on the wall was removed to a drawer.

Sophie  tells us with warmth about her boyfriend Alex, whom she met when she was 14, and loves because he is kind, gentle with her, her family like him (except her mother, who thinks he is too old for her and is suspicious of him), and she willingly goes to London with him otherwise she will not see him for 3 or 4 months.  She says that Alex warned her about people who would try to turn her against him, but that he loves her, and would not harm her – it is not his fault that he is in trouble and she would never betray him to Bernie or the police, who keep asking her questions about him.

Clearly she is in denial over her circumstances; very certain that she has chosen to have sex with men in order to help her boyfriend, Alex, who needs the money to pay off his debt to a “bad man”.  She shows violence when challenged about her situation, but over the length of the play (and over the 45 days she has which are gradually dwindling), she starts to question herself, and gradually her story of deception, grooming, betrayal, comes out until on the last day she finally realises the extent to which she been betrayed by her “true love”.  Left bereft, cigarette burns that are revealed (stigmata?) “this is my body” (the crucifix went back on the wall about two thirds of the way through the play), we are left in tears, feeling her emotional pain, seeing her hopeless and helpless, and wondering what the future holds for her.

The play reveals the shocking reality of sex trafficking and the failure of the system to adequately respond to and support the victims.  It showed powerfully and relentlessly that 45 days can be insufficient time for a highly traumatised victim to recover sufficiently to be able to walk free and move forward.

22 / 10 / 2014

SI Kingston Soroptimists at Heathrow T5

Kingston Soroptimists were out in force at Terminal 5, Heathrow on Anti Slavery Day.

Working in partnership with the Border Force, they spoke with passengers, distributed Purple Teardrop Campaign information leaflets and sold pin badges.

“The Border Force is a key player in the fight against human trafficking” said SI Kingston Representative Kay Hurrell, “And their Anti Slavery Day initiative in partnership with ECPAT, the Purple Teardrop Campaign and other anti human-trafficking organisations is a demonstration of their commitment to making it difficult for traffickers to operate in the UK.”

22 / 10 / 2014

Darlington Soroptimists

SI Darlington marked Anti Slavery Day at the Cornmill Shopping Centre where they spoke to the general public about human trafficking, collected lobby signatures and sold pin badges.

They were joined by Jenny Chapman MP who assisted in the distribution of loves me/loves me not bookmarks and Purple Teardrop Campaign information leaflets and who was pleased to find the public so receptive.

22 / 10 / 2014

Human Trafficking Foundation Media Awards

Soroptimists Pauline Monk and Jacky Paling attended the Human Trafficking Foundation’s Media Awards evening at Speaker’s House, Westminster. The full details of the winners are here.

The Foundation makes annual awards in recognition of the press’s invaluable contribution to raising the public’s awareness of human trafficking.

The evening began with speeches by Anthony Steen, John Bercow (Speaker of the House of Commons), Fiona McTaggart MP (Co-chair of the APPG on Human Trafficking) and William Hague (Leader of the House of Commons) and the event also included the presentation of Marsh Christian Awards to individuals who have given outstanding service in the fight against human trafficking. These included Christine Beddoe, who headed up ECPAT and who inspired Poole Soroptimists to start up the Purple Teardrop Campaign.

15 / 10 / 2014

Poole Soroptimist raises £1600

Poole Soroptimist Juanita Byrne-Quinn has raised £1600 for BCHA’s Miles for Hope Appeal.

Juanita raised the monies through sponsorship of her challenge to water ski 12 miles over the summer.

BHCA’s Miles for Hope Appeal will fund a support worker to help transit rescued human trafficking victims back into society, keeping them safe and out of the hands of traffickers.

Juanita presented her donation to BCHA at SI Poole’s charter dinner on 13th October at Hotel du Vin.

Many congratulations Juanita.

11 / 10 / 2014

Purple Teardrop Campaign at Heathrow!

The Purple Teardrop Campaign is delighted to be one of Heathrow Border Force’s partners in their Anti Slavery Day initiative next Friday and Saturday, 17th and 18th October. Border Force staff will have Purple Teardrop Campaign hand-outs and leaflets, and campaign posters will be up at the airport. And on Anti Slavery Day itself, 18th October, Kingston Soroptimists are manning a Purple Teardrop Campaign stand at Terminal 5.

Border Force personnel are key in identifying potential trafficking victims coming into the country and their initiative marking this year’s Anti Slavery Day is excellent news.

4 / 10 / 2014

Autumn Newsletter Now Available

Purple Teardrop Campaign’s latest newsletter is now available here.

3 / 10 / 2014

Downpatrick Soroptimists at Freshers Fair

At the recent Freshers Fair at their local FE College in Downpatrick, Soroptimists spent time talking to students about human trafficking and modern slavery. Some were very interested and shocked, some not so, but it was a very worthwhile event.

Downpatrick Soroptimists obtained signatures for the Purple Teardrop Campaign lobby against sex for sale advertising, and gave out leaflets and information sheets. They also distributed Loves Me/Loves Me Not cards to female students which generated quite a lot of interest.

All in all the Downpatrick Soroptimists felt this was a successful awareness raising event, the third they have now done at the college