London will be the final stop for the Stop the Traffik tour currently cross-hopping the country to raise awareness of the plight of women and children victims of human trafficking.
St Paul's Hammersmith will host a multi-media presentation on the issue on the evening of 9 February as part of Stop the Traffik tour, which calls for change and freedom for those caught up in the tragedy of human trafficking.
The tour is taking place under the umbrella of the wider Stop the Traffik global coalition of organisations which are working together to fight against human trafficking by raising awareness on the subject and calling for change and freedom.
The coalition aims to press governments and the UN to bring about a change in legislation and policies, resulting in protection from human trafficking.
Lizi Cope, organiser of the Stop the Traffik presentation in Hammersmith, says. "While 2007 is the year in which we commemorate and celebrate the anniversary of the end of the Trans-Atlantic slave trade, we want to draw attention to the challenges we face at present in the ongoing travesties such as human trafficking."
Stop the Traffik is working in four key areas:
Education: Creating awareness and understanding of the subject, capturing people's imaginations and inspiring them to act
Advocacy: Showing people how they can make a difference and helping put pressure on authorities and governments to take action.
Fundraising: To finance new projects by organisations working with trafficked people across the world e.g. safe houses & vocational training
Freedom Day: Focal day for tens of thousands of local events organised by coalition members and supporters around the world on 25 March 2007. Freedom Day will not so much be a celebration of history as a drawing of inspiration from the black and white champions of the past for the challenge of the future.
The tour is a partnership between the Stop The Traffik global coalition, Compassion UK and Cargo. The presentation will include songs from singer/songwriter Paul Field, who has written 'Cargo' - the fight for freedom past and present, which uses words, music, dance and images to tell the story of the abolitionists and also to raise awareness of contemporary slavery and its links with poverty and fairtrade.
Rachel Davies, of Social Action Charity CARE, says, "Every year men, women and children are bought and sold. This is not just happening abroad, it is happening here in the UK. It's time to take a stand against this cruel trade and Stop The Traffik."
