Presidents Address



"It ought to concern every person, because it is a debasement of our common humanity. It ought to concern every community, because it tears at our social fabric. It ought to concern every business, because it distorts markets. It ought to concern every nation, because it endangers public health and fuels violence and organized crime. I’m talking about the injustice, the outrage, of human trafficking, which must be called by its true name — modern slavery.” PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA



Saturday 5 April 2014

Don’t Get Hyponotised by the Stats and Stories

It’s difficult to ignore a headline on TV or in the newspaper that reads “Paedophile gangs preying on children…”, or “Teenage sex slaves used as ‘personal ATM’”. But sex trafficking and sex enslavement is a topic that tends to be sensationalised by the media, fed by exaggerated facts, figures, and the graphic real-life stories of the victims, and unfortunately do little to support those whose lives are affected by this reality on a daily basis.


The far-reaching extent of sex trafficking and enslavement should not be ignored, nor the devastating impact it has on individuals’ lives. However, it is important that we don’t get lost in the hype and the emotions which are provoked when we see these articles. As stated by Ryan Turner, (Associate Director of Advocacy for the Human Trafficking Centre, USA):

 “Reveling in graphic details does not help victims and survivors, nor does it contribute in any meaningful way to the fight to end human trafficking. Rather, it tokenizes the experiences of victims and can trigger trauma for human trafficking survivors.” Ryan Turner.

While increasing public awareness of sex trafficking and enslavement is critical in order to combat it, it is important to recognise what is actually being portrayed by an article reporting about sex trafficking/enslavement. Is the article simply there to attract and entertain readers, or is it actually advocating in order to increase public awareness and help combat the issue? Ask yourself; if I was a victim of sex enslavement, would that article have empowered me or persecuted me further? Lastly, ask yourself what can I do that would be beneficial for victims of sex enslavement, or help combat sex trafficking? We will supply links on this blog to organisations where you can provide support to help prevent sex trafficking, and aid in the recovery of those trafficked. These organisations have been chosen as they provide direct support to those trafficked, and are subsequently most effective in their actions (please note we have no affiliation with any of these companies).

We promise that this blog will advocate for combatting sex enslavement using a positive and productive format without exaggeration or sensationalism.



By Hamish Prosser
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