Heather Bellamy interviewed Steve Chalke about the campaign to stop the sale of people

Steve Chalke (Photo: European Parliament)

Heather: Let's start at the very beginning Steve, for those of us who don't know, what is Stop The Traffik and what is trafficking?

Steve: Stop the Traffik is a global coalition which will use the commemoration of the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade as a catalyst for a campaign to work to stop the sale of human beings around the world today.

Stop The Traffik's aims are to:

1. "Prevent The Sale Of People"
2. "Prosecute The Traffickers"
3. "Protect The Victims"

Stop The Traffik is involved with the following:

Education: Create awareness and understanding of the subject. Capture people's imaginations and inspire them to act

Advocacy: Show people how they can make a difference. Help put pressure on those who have the power to minimize the activity

Fundraising: Financing new projects (safe houses, vocational training, awareness campaigns etc)

Freedom Day: Focal Day for Activities across the UK on 25th March 2007

Trafficking is the fastest growing global crime!

Trafficking is one form of modern day slavery where men, women and children are taken by deception, coercion or violence from their homes for exploitation.

Definition of trafficking from Article 4 of the Council of Europe Convention on action against Traffiking in human beings:

(a) "Traffiking in human beings" shall mean the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of persons, by means of the threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation. Exploitation shall include, at a minimum, the exploitation of the prostitution of others or other forms of sexual exploitation, forced labour or services, slavery or practices similar to slavery, servitude or the removal of organs;

(b) The consent of a victim of "Traffiking in human beings" to the intended exploitation set forth in subparagraph (a) of this article shall be irrelevant where any of the means set forth in subparagraph (a) have been used; (a) "Traffiking in human beings" shall mean the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of persons, by means of the threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation. Exploitation shall include, at a minimum, the exploitation of the prostitution of others or other forms of sexual exploitation, forced labour or services, slavery or practices similar to slavery, servitude or the removal of organs;

(c) The recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of a child for the purpose of exploitation shall be considered "Traffiking in human beings" even if this does not involve any of the means set forth in subparagraph (a) of this article);