Human Rights and the Status of Women
End human trafficking and all forms of violence against women and girls.
Poole Refuge
Poole Soroptimists support Poole Refuge through the donation of toiletries, cleaning materials and quality household items.
Human Trafficking
Human trafficking remains at the core of SI Poole’s project work in 2010 through its flagship Purple Teardrop Campaign which raises public awareness on human trafficking and fund-raises to support human trafficking victims, particularly those who are sexually exploited.
Medaille Trust
Soroptimist International of Poole supports the annual Lions Poole Swimarathon. To-date, the club has donated £9,000 to the Medaille Trust from Swimarathon proceeds. The Medaille Trust provides safe house accommodation and support for trafficking victims. The next Lions Poole Swimarathon is in February 2011.
Blue Blindfold
SI Poole members have presented £2,000 to Blue Blindfold on behalf of the Purple Teardrop Campaign for use in supporting victims for whom no other funding is available.
Human Trafficking, our Purple Teardrop Campaign - the Background Story
Over the past few years, SI Poole has donated £9,000 to the Medaille Trust, specifically to support its Hampshire safe-house for human trafficking victims. The funds have come principally from the Lions Poole Swimarathon which SI Poole helps to organise and run.
From the discussion at the club’s programme action review in early 2008, it was very clear that the membership wished to not only fund-raise for victim support but also raise public awareness of human trafficking and, if possible, take further, more direct action.
Detective Chief Inspector Steve Bartlett from Dorset Police came to speak to the club about Pentameter 2 in Dorset. DCI Bartlett’s information about human trafficking in Dorset helped the club to inform itself and gave the membership the opportunity to ask Dorset Police how the club could best provide practical local assistance to help combat trafficking in Dorset.
There appear to be specific trafficking hotspots in both Bournemouth and Weymouth. Additionally, the latter is the designated venue for sailing events at the 2012 Olympics and the club had already identified that this might well be a catalyst for an increase in trafficking problems.
More detailed discussion took place at subsequent club programme action meetings and the idea of a 3 strand project emerged. The 3 proposed strands were:
• A purple ribbon campaign, following on from the purple ribbon campaign by European and latterly Yorkshire Soroptimists
• A sticker campaign aimed at men, with a confidential phone number to call to report any concerns or suspicions regarding trafficked prostitutes
• An advertising campaign in newspaper escort columns, again aimed at men and providing a confidential phone number. This project strand has since been dropped - the Newsquest Group no longer publishes an escort column
Members volunteered to work in 3 groups to take each strand forward:
• The group working on the ribbon campaign researched on the web for suppliers and, having identified all the major UK charity badge organisations, contacted them for samples. The initial thought was to purchase purple enamel pin-badges and quotes were requested and obtained.
Group members contributed draft artwork and text for the badge boxes and backing cards. Importantly, the draft design comprised 3 half-faces, one European, one Asian and one Afro-Caribbean, each with a small purple tear which one of our members decided to enlarge to create more impact, by chance in a different shade of purple.
The supplier with the keenest quote was selected and the draft artwork and text sent to them. Their design team was very helpful and made 2 key suggestions. Firstly, that the boxes and pin-badge backing cards would look more professional and make a stronger visual statement if the half-faces were photographs rather than sketches. And secondly, that the campaign would be more distinctive and hopefully more successful if the badges were a 2 tone purple teardrop rather than a purple ribbon.
Using her personal network, another member was able to obtain appropriate photographs, although it was a long process to select those that we felt made the correct impact. The photographs were subsequently put into a variety of designs and again, after a lengthy process, the final design for the pin-badge backing card for presentation to the club was agreed.
In the meantime, pin-badge backing card text was also worked up to a final draft.
At the club’s July programme action meeting, the designs and text were put to the whole membership and agreed. Funding was also confirmed and the club placed an order for 5,000 teardrop badges, each being pinned to a backing card and individually wrapped, plus 50 boxes.
A firm commitment had been made by 24 local organisations to each display and sell a box of 100 teardrop pin-badges even before they were delivered.
The suggested donation for each badge is £1. The proceeds from pin-badge sales are to go to support for safe houses for trafficking victims and to fund the other strands of the project.
It had already been noted that Yorkshire clubs had run a successful sticker campaign. Stickers had been placed in men’s toilets to raise awareness that some prostitutes are trafficking victims. The Yorkshire clubs were very helpful in providing samples of their artwork.
However, the members working on this part of the project preferred to work on new wording. Our Assistant Programme Action Officer obtained samples and prices of various types of stickers.
A local councillor, Daniel Martin, had attended the initial meeting where DCI Bartlett had spoken about Pentameter 2. Councillor Martin committed to help our campaign and was asked if Poole Borough Council would allow the stickers to be placed in the borough’s public men’s toilets. Unfortunately, the reply from the manager responsible for Poole’s public toilets was negative. There was concern that this campaign would set a precedent and that other organisations would demand that their stickers also be placed in the borough’s toilets. Additionally, the manager was worried that the stickers would cause paintwork damage when they were eventually removed.
The group therefore decided that A4 posters would be considered more acceptable and, at the club’s July programme action meeting, the text for the posters was agreed plus it was agreed that the same 3 half-faces would be featured. The posters include a Crimestoppers phone number to report suspected trafficking victims.
5,000 posters were ordered. The group drew up lists of organisations and venues to be approached and considered the idea of a high profile distribution across the borough over one or two days.
We would like to formally thank SI Southampton for introducing us to the Medaille Trust, SI Bournemouth for confirming that we may contact businesses within their Bournemouth ‘patch’ and SISE PAC Officer for their support to date.
It was felt that the Purple Teardrop Campaign would have a greater chance of success if a high profile launch was held.
A committee was set-up and arrangements rapidly put in hand for the launch on 22 September at Upton House drawing room. The committee drew up a programme, as follows:
7pm, doors open. Guests completed a trafficking awareness questionnaire, and perused display material.
7.30pm. Following our President’s formal welcome, there were speakers from the Medaille Trust, CHASTE and Operation Pentameter 2. Immediate Past President Pauline advised guests how they and their organisations could participate in the Purple Teardrop Campaign, and a question and answer session followed.
9.30pm. Evening closed.
A comprehensive invitation list was drawn up to include locally based companies, local authorities, public agencies and like-minded organisations.
The event committee prepared a leaflet/programme and a pledge form, plus adapted an existing trafficking awareness questionnaire.
Human Trafficking, our Purple Teardrop Campaign - 2009
Our Purple Teardrop Campaign gathered momentum following the September launch. Not only did Louis de Bernieres agree to be the Campaign’s patron but we have formed a partnership with the Blue Blindfold Campaign, the government’s initiative against human trafficking.
We are rolling the campaign out and encouraging other Soroptimist clubs to raise awareness of human trafficking within their local communities. The materials needed to do so can be ordered from us. See www.purpleteardrop.org.uk
Locally, we have held awareness-raising events at Poole Stadium on International Women’s Day, at Poole’s Dolphin Shopping Centre and at Bournemouth University to mark Not For Sale Sunday. We had a stand at the Dorset WI Conference and have spoken at front line worker seminars and with local voluntary groups such as Rotarians.