Club Project: Purple Teardrop Campaign - SI Poole

Human trafficking has overtaken even drugs trafficking in terms of scale. It is a global issue and the consequences for its victims are dire.

The Poole club launched its Purple Teardrop Campaign against Human Trafficking in December 2009. The club's aim is to spread the Purple Teardrop message as far and as wide as they can. They invite Soroptimists to hold workshops and seminars, distribute posters and sell Purple Teardrop pin-badges in their local communities so as to raise awareness and much needed victim support funds.

A Message from SI Poole:

Thank you again for all your enthusiasm during anti-slavery week in October. Your efforts have been noticed by many other organisations not least by the Human Trafficking Foundation to which SIGBI and Purple Teardrop Campaign are coalition partners.

Anthony Steen, Chair, Human Trafficking Foundation, has asked for Soroptimists help with another action as he has great respect for our ‘lobbying’ skills. This involves encouraging members to write to, or meet with, their MPs to familiarise themselves with any anti-slavery actions that clubs are taking currently or have done in the past. It might be raising awareness or if you are actively involved with a local service provider perhaps you could arrange a meeting between them and the MP so that he/she can be given first hand information of the victims’ stories/journeys by, for example, a care worker. This will make it more real for the MP to understand. This request follows a concerted effort by Damian Green, Minister for Immigration, who recently wrote to all MPs stating:

“I know many of you are already aware of the terrible plight faced by trafficking victims. In the 21st century there is no place for any form of slavery whatsoever. Concerted effort across government is required to tackle trafficking and I know many of you already work in your constituencies and at a national level to prevent more people from becoming victims. For example, I am aware that some of you have previously worked with local newspapers to raise the awareness of classified advertisements potentially advertising the services of trafficking victims. Action like this at a local level can only help to raise the profile of our fight to end this terrible crime.”

He goes on to ask them to:-

“...engage with local anti-trafficking groups within your own constituencies to raise the public consciousness on this important matter and to drive human trafficking out of the UK”.

I know you are all very busy ladies with the annual festivities and the end of 2011 looming fast, but perhaps you might be able to make this a priority at the beginning of 2012 if you haven’t time beforehand.

If you need help or advice on the matter to ensure effective action then Anthony Steen or his aid, Tamlin Vickers, would be pleased to advise. They can be contacted on 0207 549 0552 or by email at anthony.steen@humantraffickingfoundation.org and tamlin.vickers@humantraffickingfoundation.org11-4-11

 

In March 2011 SI Poole launched the latest stage in their campaign: 11-4-11, eleven things that every Soroptimist club in the UK can do to combat trafficking.

Their message, "If your Club is planning to work on Objective 2 (Soroptimist International Objectives) this year, 'End human trafficking and all forms of violence against women and girls' here are 11 ideas that your membership might like to take forward in 2011 - we've called them "11 4 11"

1. Buy and wear a purple teardrop pinbadge - our aim is for EVERY Soroptimist to do so. Order on-line at the Purple Teardrop website.
2. Become a member of the Purple Teardrop Campaign - You can join as an individual or club. Membership forms are available on the website.
3. Hold a fund-raiser or make the Purple Teardrop Campaign one of your club charities in 2011.
4. Support the Purple Teardrop Campaign's lobbies.If you haven't done so already, sign-up to the lobby to ban sex for sale adverts - these are used by criminals to market sex for sale using trafficked women and girls.Sign-up on-line or download a paper petition from our website.Write to your local newspaper group if they are publishing sex for sale adverts – in the event of a negative response, why not ask other advertisers to threaten to boycott.
5. Contact your MP. Ask them to sign up to EDM 931 and request their support for leglisation banning sex for sale advertising.
6. Mark Anti-Slavery Day on 18 October. Use the new set of Purple Teardrop Campaign posters and leaflets in addition to our pin-badges.
7. Hold an awareness-raising event to alert your community to human trafficking, You may find our CD helpful - order on-line.
8. Support other Soroptimist anti trafficking projects such as the Yorkshire Soroptimists' Anti Slavery Group
9. Link up with Soroptimist clubs in source countries to support work overseas to reduce human trafficking.
10. Support other organisations working to stamp out human trafficking, such as Anti Slavery, Stop the Traffik and ECPAT,
11. Record all awareness, advocacy and action that your club does on human trafficking via the Soroptimist International Database.