Stop Sex Trafficking The Body Shop has a launched a new campaign to stop sex trafficking of children and young people.
The Body Shop at Hempstead Valley is supporting the STOP campaign which launched on 15th July.
From 15 to 21 July, The Body Shop collected signatures for a petition & asked customers to draw their handprints to show their messages of support. Celebrity support so far includes Twilight star Robert Pattinson and Sienna Miller.
Customers will also be offered free hand massages and mini samples during the week.
The Body Shop® Soft Hands Kind Heart Hand Cream will be sold and proceeds from each hand cream sold* are donated to ECPAT and other organisations that support victims of trafficking and help to fund prevention programmes. With one sold globally every 30 seconds**, Soft Hands Kind Heart Hand Cream has already raised a staggering £1m for charity.
In addition singer Katie Melua, actor Sir Ben Kinglsey, Yoko Ono and actress Joanna Lumley join us in wanting to stamp out this modern day slave trade which involves an estimated 1.2 million children and young people a year and exists in every continent, region and country the world over from the poorest to the richest.
The proceeds from every Soft Hands Kind Heart Hand Cream sold are donated to ECPAT a global network of charities.
The campaign aims to raise awareness for the scale of the issue, raise global funding for vulnerable children and young people and inspire those with decision-making power to effect change.
Human trafficking exists in countries all over the world (1), not just the poorest. According to the United Nations, it is the third-largest and fastest-growing criminal industry in the world (2), with more than 1.2 million children and young people trafficked every year (3).
In response to this growing trade, The Body Shop has launched a global campaign to Stop Sex Trafficking of Children and Young People. Working alongside ECPAT (End Child Prostitution, Child Pornography and the Trafficking of Children for Sexual Purposes) the campaign aims to raise awareness and vital funds for victims or those at risk of trafficking.
Since its launch in 2009, Stop Sex Trafficking of Children and Young People has gathered support in more than 40 countries worldwide. In New York and Toronto, hundreds of people rallied to the cause with organised marches. In Thailand, The Body Shop customers wrote personal messages of support to victims of trafficking at the ECPAT Foundation Shelter. And in Denmark, store staff raised awareness by handing out leaflets in the city's red light district.
2009 also saw the launch of The Body Shop® Soft Hands Kind Heart Hand Cream. Proceeds from each hand cream sold* are donated to ECPAT and other organisations that support victims of trafficking and help to fund prevention programmes. With one sold globally every 30 seconds**, Soft Hands Kind Heart Hand Cream has already raised a staggering £1m for charity.
So what's next? This summer we'll be launching a petition calling upon governments to implement strict anti-trafficking policies and legislation, and dedicate more resources to help victims of trafficking. It doesn't end there. Because this is a global campaign, our objective is to join hands with thousands of other signatories around the world by taking our petitions to the United Nations in 2011.
Soft Hands Kind Heart Hand Cream is available now at The Body Shop, in-store and online.
Get Involved
1. Tell your friends and family about our campaign. Help us to spread the word about the horrors of this global sex trade.
2. Buy our Soft Hands Kind Heart Hand Cream, or make a donation to ECPAT
3. Report a suspected incidence of child trafficking by writing to protect@ecpat.net
4. Learn more about the issue by reading our full report on Global Child Trafficking for sexual purposes or the summary report.
5. Find out more about our innovative Progress Cards which have been developed to support the next phase of our campaign.
Traffic stopping facts
• Human trafficking is the third largest (1) and fastest growing criminal industry in the world. (2)
• 1.2 million children are exploited in the global commercial sex trade though this figure is thought to be much higher due to the underground dealings of the traffickers. (3)
• Reports show that sexual exploitation is the most likely purpose of trafficking (4)
• Trafficking exists in countries all over the world. It doesnt only exist in the poorest countries. (5)
(1) UNFPA 2006
(2) UNGIFT 2008
(3) UNICEF 2007
(4) ILO 2005
(5) UNICEF UK 2003
*For example in the UK, ECPAT UK receives £3.15 and ECPAT Int receives £0.30 for each product sold. ECPAT UK Charity No: 1104948 www.ecpat.org.uk-->(1) UNODC 2009
(2) UN.GIFT
(3) UNICEF 2007
*£3.50 in the UK. Donation amounts may differ in other countries. Visit your local store for details
**1.4 units sold every 30 seconds, based on global sales from 26/08/2009 to 23/01/2010 and selling periods of 12 hours per day
ECPAT UK is a charity registered in the United Kingdom. Charity number 1104948
