CSW webinar on human trafficking

Source: TRAC

Every year, the NGO Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) organises more than 500 events that inform, engage and inspire grassroots efforts and advocacy needed to empower women and girls.

Over the past two weeks, from 15-26 March, CSW65/NY has organised the civil society side of the UN. The NGO CSW Forum runs parallel to the events occurring within the UN Headquarters. This provides civil society the opportunity to engage in the processes and events.

This year, the NGO CSW65 Forum was entirely virtual due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Twenty-five thousand from all around the world registered for this year, 2021. Normally, there are between Five and Six thousand bodily present for the event. Because CSW is able to reach out to a wider audience virtually, and has registered so many interested in joining, this was been a huge undertaking logistically.

RENATE - Religious in Europe Networking Against Trafficking and Exploitation - has been giving Webinars each day, sometimes twice a day, for two-hour sessions, under the auspices of the Sisters of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd, who have a permanent presence at the UN.

The Webinar link below is for the session on Demand for human trafficking, that was presented by the following RENATE members:

Anne Kelleher (moderator of the session) Communications Person for RENATE, living in Kildare, Ireland.

Sister Imelda Poole, IBVM, President of RENATE, living and working on anti-trafficking and with Albania Hope - an initiative of Mary Ward Loreto in Albania.

Sister Marie Power, Holy Family Sister of Bordeaux, living and working in London, chair of TRAC UK (Women religious raising awareness and campaigning on anti-trafficking). Marie has been working in anti-trafficking for almost 30 years and is a volunteer at Bakhita House - safe house for trafficked women

Sr Mirjam Beike, Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd, working at the UN in Geneva, involved in anti-trafficking for 30 years.

Sr Patricia Mulhall, Brigidine sister, living and working in the UK, member of TRAC UK, working on anti-trafficking for almost 20 years and a volunteer at Bakhita House.

This Webinar focuses on the Demand for commercial sex, prostitution and cheap labour, including child sexual and labour exploitation. It demonstrates that Demand is the engine driving human trafficking and it illustrates this fact with film footage and statistics, outlining the root-causes of the problem and providing testimonies from survivors. It promotes the 'Equality Model' (Nordic) as a means of addressing this issue which is equated with international crime that nets 150billion US dollars a year for the traffickers.

Below is the link to the Webinar:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1apktsGJaZ4AQ8mekliboio6vAgMAczSS/view?usp=drive_web

Further Links:

RENATE https;//www.renate-europe.net

TRAC www.traconline.org.uk

Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd - https://rgs.gssweb.org