An article in the Economist last month saw a debate emerge which is by no means new amongst anti-trafficking activists, despite the title ‘Old Profession, New Debate’. It brings you the campaign of Ye Haitan, looking to legalise prostitution in China and who has even volunteered as a prostitute for two days as a campaign […]
Lahore, Pakistan Urban households start early to prepare the evening meal
Libya Elections – a Blueprint for the Arab World? Read more . . .
This week a youtube link popped up in my facebook inbox with the very commanding and affecting title of ‘They will kill us all, please help us’. This dramatic cry is the voice of the Rohingya, a Muslim people who live in the Arakan region of Burma. The Rohingya have been the subject of international […]
Amnesty International (in collaboration with Grain Media) have come up with a powerful campaign to raise awareness for the human rights of migrants, refugees and asylum seekers in Europe and its borders. People flee their country of origin for many reasons: for fear of persecution, poverty and war, for example. Asylum may be one of […]
In 2002, the US, in their annual report on trafficking in persons, took Pakistan off the watchlist as countries who were not making any effort in the fight against trafficking. The reason for this removal was because Pakistan made an action to create a piece of legislation, called the Prevention and Control against Human Trafficking […]
Saleema’s Story* Saleema was kidnapped when she was 9, raped 2 years later after being sold to a human trafficker Iqbal. She was raped again, kept in domestic servitude and was claimed as Iqbal’s wife, even though there was no ceremony. She had 2 children by the age of 14. She tried to escape many […]
Human trafficking is big business! It’s the third largest revenue generator from an illegal source, after drugs and guns and hidden operations have been found in every continent and the most surprising locations. Methods boil down to old fashioned organised crime, corruption, psychological and mental intimidation. In Pakistan, while organised crime is strongly linked to […]
Before 2008, ‘human trafficking’ was not really an issue in my world. It was something I had heard of, something to do with prostitution and girls who had no choice – I mean I’d seen the Barclaycard style adverts campaigning for the fight against trafficking in persons. But I got a rude awakening from reading […]
A catchy tagline from the Tourism Department, it’s not hard to guess what it means. Malaysia is a ‘bubbling, bustling melting pot of races and religions’ offering an ‘exciting diversity of cultures, festivals, traditions and customs’ (www.tourism.gov.my). I’ve found myself in the unexpected situation of living in Kuala Lumpur, the federal capital of Malaysia. Malaysia’s not […]
