The Churches Alert to Sex Trafficking across Europe (CHASTE) Not for Sale UK campaign, which is seeking to change the mood music in the United Kingdom on the issue of customer demand, is coming on tour in November to Cambridge, Edinburgh, Birmingham and Leeds.
In this bicentenary year CHASTE is joining forces with former cabinet minister Jonathan Aitken and up-and-coming jazz-blues singer Helen J Hicks to bring an evening of challenge, engagement, and informed entertainment to central church venues in these cities.
Chief Executive Carrie Pemberton said of the tour, “We expect the Love’s Not for Sale tour in November, to be a key opportunity for the churches and committed organisations to come together to further the movement for change across the United Kingdom.
“The British public is simply not aware of how ordinary citizens are both part of the problem of sexual slavery in our midst, because clients who demand pay-as-you-go sex, are the reason why this vile trade in women’s abused lives and bodies is flourishing.
“If you took away the market of demand, the criminals whose sole interest in this perverse trade in women’s lives is the money it earns them, would cease their trade.”
She likened sexual trafficking to the transatlantic slave trade which was abolished 200 years ago this year.
“The same goal, making money out of the suffering of others, was behind the transatlantic slave trade two hundred years ago. Now we have a movement arising in both Parliament, the academy, the police, the churches and the faith communities which is saying ‘enough is truly enough’,” said Dr Pemberton.
CHASTE has already made its presence felt in the public sector where it provides expert advice to Government agencies and primary care to survivors of sex trafficking abuse.
Earlier this year it launched the Not for Sale campaign with Not for Sale Sunday on May 20th with wide take up by many churches across the country.
Now a well received publication of verse, social comment, theological reflection and case studies has been published.
The CHASTE-commissioned book ‘Not for Sale: Raising Awareness, Ending Exploitation’ published by Methodist Publishing House imprint Inspire is already making waves and exciting positive comment from a wide sector of interest.
