Ghosts and human trafficking

Nick Broomfield's film, Ghosts, highlights the shocking plight of illegal immigrants and the consequences of human trafficking.

STOP THE TRAFFIK is a global coalition working to bring freedom and justice to all victims of people trafficking, and to demonstrate how the public can get involved.

Stop the Traffik writes:
"Candy, 15, was born in West Africa to a poor family. Her family was offered an opportunity to gain money by selling their daughter to some ‘family members’ who promised Candy a new life in England, where she would be able to send money to her family.

Candy arrived in England and realised that the life that she had been promised had been a lie. The small flat she was taken to was in fact a brothel and she was told she would have to have sex with men on a daily basis.

The ‘family members’ that had brought her to England physically and sexually abused her. She was isolated and extremely scared as she was in a country where she did not know anyone.

She was threatened that if she ever tried to escape the brothel, her family in Africa would suffer the consequences. Fortunately, Candy had a strong and resourceful personality and managed to escape to the nearest police station.

Candy is now beginning to rebuild her life and has been offered support from Social Services to enable her to do this.

Stories like this are not rare, they are happening around the world all the time.

It is the horrific experiences of people like Candy that have led to the birth of STOP THE TRAFFIK..

PEOPLE ARE TRAFFICKED INTO PROSTITUTION, BEGGING, FORCED LABOUR, MILITARY SERVICE, DOMESTIC SERVICE, FORCED ILLEGAL ADOPTION, FORCED MARRIAGE".

United Nations Office On Drugs And Crime:
"People trafficking is one form of modern day slavery".

"It is the second most illegal trade, second to arms and equal to drug trafficking".

U.S State Department Trafficking in Persons Report 2005:
"Over a person a minute is being trafficked across international borders, which equates to five full jumbo jets daily; that's 600k-800k per year".

Council Of Europe via Associated Press 2006:
"People trafficking has reached epidemic proportions over the past decade, with a global annual market of about $42.5 billion / £21.7 billion".
To compare:
Microsoft: $44.8 bn
Coca Cola: $23.1bn

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Visit the Stop the Traffik website to find out more and how you can get involved.