The global issue of sex trafficking is substantial and it is not going away. The International Labour Organisation estimated*:
40.3 million people are in modern slavery in the world today
4.8 million are forced into sexual exploitation
99% of victims in the commercial sex industry are women and girls .
It is easy to turn away from difficult subjects; “ the problem is too big, too difficult, it's not mine, it's not here... ” but it is.
IIT, collaborating with local expertise, aims to intervene, prevent and limit the underlying causes through education and skills training, which are paramount in avoiding the ‘poverty trap’ – the fertile breeding ground for sex trafficking; to rescue and rehabilitate survivors through a vocational training rehabilitation centre and to break up the networks and bring the perpetrators to justice.
In the words of Nelson Mandela:
“ For to be free is not merely to cast off ones chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others. ”
*Source: Global Estimates of Modern Slavery: Forced Labour and Forced Marriage , Geneva, September 2017
RESCUE AND REHABILITATION
Even if rescued from the grasp of traffickers, individuals often find it difficult reintegrating back into their communities and society more widely, and are not readily accepted back. IIT aims to ensure that those rescued can have the opportunity to build a new future through developing skills, support, trust and friendships in a safe place.
IIT is therefore building a community welfare and education centre in Nepal (NCWEC) to assist in rebuilding the lives of survivors who have been rescued from the clutches of sex trafficking.
The NCWEC will help survivors rehabilitate and focus on building a positive future. The centre will offer medical attention, trauma and counselling support to give those rescued the opportunity to rebuild their self-esteem. Survivors taking residency at the NCWEC will be taught vocational skills and provided with appropriate training so they can gain qualifications and in turn gainful employment and build careers to begin a new life. We hope our survivors will own their future and in turn make a positive difference to the lives of others. We continue to work with prospective partners so that we can support beneficiaries as they progress on their journey.
The NCWEC will benefit the local community, by providing facilities to enable learning opportunities together with workshops; delivering skills and education which are most needed to help it develop.
- For survivors of trafficking, the NCWEC will aim to provide:
- Independence and life skills training
- A safe space to stay for women at the point of recovery where they need rehabilitation and to prepare them to begin a new life
- Vocational training, including but not only, in the hospitality sector
- For the local community we aim to provide:
- Education programmes
- Workshops to enable entrepreneurism
- Supplementary English classes.
Sustainability is key. The centre itself will be a beacon, leading by example in its construction and offering hope and a positive future to many. It will run as a social enterprise, eventually becoming self-funded to ensure its long-term future. Where ever possible recyclable and eco-friendly building materials will be used to build the centre.
The NCWEC delivers through grassroots organisations, which have a secure local credibility and reputation and networks, to deliver successful projects to communities in need. Delivering partners for NCWEC are BVS Nepal who have expertise in rehabilitation of survivors of domestic violence and Creasion, who are leading the way in building earthquake-resilient communities in a sustainable fashion.
PROSECUTING THE NETWORKS
Justice and Care helps to rescue people who have been trafficked and brutally exploited in slavery. They restore their lives. They partner with law enforcement agencies to dismantle criminal networks and bring abusers to justice. They protect communities at risk from traffickers and work with Governments to achieve systemic change.
Justice and Care has rescued 4,700+ victims and trained authorities to rescue thousands more; supported 3,200+ victims in aftercare programmes; trained 45,000 police, judges and front-line professionals; helped the Police arrest more than 1,150 suspected traffickers; pioneered national systemic change, and shaped legislation in India and the UK; and educated 170,000 vulnerable people in communities at-risk of trafficking.
Core to their approach is a belief that it is the role of the state to protect its citizens. That is why they work internationally with governments and law enforcement agencies to fight slavery and share their expertise with people in power to spark systemic change.
Justice and Care has teams working to fight slavery in the UK, India, Bangladesh and mainland Europe - including partnering with police forces and the National Crime Agency in the UK.
IIT aims to assist Justice and Care in raising funds for them to work alongside the police to help bring perpetrators of trafficking to justice.
Integrity International Trust is a registered charity (number 1176502), registered in England and Wales as a company limited by guarantee (number 11121606) whose registered office is at 10 Queen Street Place, London, United Kingdom, EC4R 1BE.