asianews

Friday, October 2, 2009

By: Jordan Walker

The centuries-old phenomenon of human trafficking is far from extinct, yet an innovative new partnership among The Body Shop, ECPAT International (End Child Pornography and Trafficking of Children for Sexual Purposes), and The Somaly Mam Foundation seeks to change that.

Each of the three organizations brings a unique set of resources and perspectives to this campaign, entitled “Stop Sex Trafficking of Children and Young People.” Specifically, The Body Shop envisioned a holistic partnership in which ECPAT and The Somaly Mam Foundation could provide their expertise (in advocacy and rescue/rehabilitation, respectively) around the issue and The Body Shop could leverage its reach to communicate the issue and activate the public worldwide.

The Body Shop boasts a rich history dedicated to its campaigns and values, and the company’s leadership of this campaign truly reaffirms its corporate identity. When Dame Anita Roddick created The Body Shop in 1976, she expected that social change would be firmly engrained in all aspects of the company, from research and development to the commitments of suppliers and manufacturers, to the future development of a community trade program and targeted campaigns. In reflecting on Roddick’s legacy, Shelley Simmons, The Body Shop Director of Values, describes the late founder as “a social activist first and foremost and an entrepreneur secondly.” As such, the company’s adoption of the child sex trafficking issue is in tribute to Roddick’s heartfelt passion around the cause.

The Body Shop views its staff as changemakers in the charge to raise awareness of the issue, and in turn employees have risen to the challenge. The company designed a training curriculum at the launch of the campaign to educate staff around the issue, helping them gauge the interest and comfort level of consumers who express an interest in the cause. Furthermore, employees were provided an educational video featuring Somaly Mam and ECPAT USA, as well as invited to attend a rally in New York City where experts in the issue raised a call to action.

ECPAT is a global network that unites 81 organizations serving to eliminate child trafficking, prostitution, and pornography through advocacy and reform efforts. Since its establishment in 1990 as a three-year campaign focused on Asia, ECPAT has established a presence in 75 countries, representing all regions worldwide. The primary focus of the organization is to provide tools and best practices to uphold the Stockholm Agenda for Action against the commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC), which was adopted by 122 countries in 1996.

And then there’s Somaly Mam. Named one of the World’s Most Influential People in Time Magazine’s 2009 issue, Mam is as humble as she is fearless. Somaly Mam sat down to speak with onPhilanthropy while promoting her partnership with The Body Shop and ECPAT and celebrating her foundation’s second annual A Night of Hopes and Dreams benefit in New York City.

By now many are familiar with Mam’s story: she was sold into sex slavery in Cambodia at a young age by a man posing as her grandfather, and she experienced unspeakable abuse and hardship at the hands of her various captors. But speak she does: since escaping from bondage, Mam went on to found an NGO called AFESIP (Agir Pour les Femmes en Situation Precaire) and the Somaly Mam Foundation and has become a tireless advocate for young women who suffer her same plight throughout Cambodia, Thailand, and Laos. Somaly Mam has changed the lives of the more than 6,000 young women she has freed and nurtured back to health. Indeed, the adoration was undeniable in the faces of the young women Mam referred to as daughters, who clustered around her to catch every word of our conversation.

By partnering in a three-year campaign that provides both short-term relief and long-term solutions to the child sex trafficking issue, these three organizations form a natural synthesis. With funding support at this time, the campaign can ensure the rescue and rehabilitation of children who are most immediately threatened by the human sex trafficking industry. Reports commissioned by the campaign will lay the groundwork for future advocacy efforts, which can in turn influence legislation in countries where laws are ineffective or non-existent. Building off these achievements, the campaign hopes that it can drive toward systemic change, eradicating these conditions altogether and ensuring protection for children worldwide.

With such influential parties uniting to tackle the issue of childhood sex trafficking, it’s no wonder this campaign, just launched in August 2009, is already making waves. Just last week The Body Shop International CEO Sophie Gasperment joined a working session at the Clinton Global Initiative entitled "Leadership Solutions to End Human Trafficking and Forced Labor,” where she presented a “Progress Card System” that values government steps in addressing child sex trafficking. Not only will this innovative system establish benchmarks and quantify progress toward reform, but it also elicits a candid discussion about the ways in which the issue is manifest around the world.

So, how can you get involved in this campaign and make a difference in the lives of countless young people in your own country and around the world?

Learn about the problem.

Most people don’t recognize the gravity of sex trafficking in every country around the world. Educate yourself on the issue, and it will become impossible to ignore. Visit the Stop Sex Trafficking of Children and Young People campaign website, where you can view current facts and figures about the issue. In addition, Somaly Mam’s memoir, The Road of Lost Innocence: The True Story of a Cambodian Heroine, paints a candid and chilling picture of the reality that so many children suffer.

Spread the word.

Once you’re inspired by the work of the campaign, share your enthusiasm with others! One of the most difficult barriers facing this issue is that so few people realize the truth of what is taking place. Visit the ECPAT website for some ideas about how to share the reality of child sex trafficking. A little awareness can go a long way.

Purchase products.

The Body Shop developed the Soft Hands, Kind Heart Hand Cream to connect consumers to the campaign and benefit its nonprofit partners. This product represents the powerful role our hands can play, with an ability to stop wrongdoing or help out those in need. The cream is a universal product that in turn reinforces the symbolism of the strength and humanity of our hands. Consumers can purchase the cream online or in The Body Shop stores, and 100% of profits benefit ECPAT. The purchase of a Bag for Life will benefit The Somaly Mam Foundation.

Give of yourself.