Friday, February 16, 2007

Slavery - is it truly abolished? (ÉIRE)

This year is the 200th anniversary of the abolition of slavery, but according to Ruhama, an organisation that works with and for women involved in prostitution, millions of women from poorer countries are still enslaved in the sex trade of wealthier countries.

To draw attention to this and to raise funds so that it can reach the women most at risk, Ruhama has launched the Freedom Key – a key ring showing a key carrying the slogan, ‘Stop the traffik’ and the Ruhama logo, which will be sold for €2.

‘Irish people don’t realise the extent of the problem we have here in Ireland,’ Geraldine Rowley from Ruhama told ciNews.

‘Awareness raising is a great way to prevent it happening.’

The key ring will not be sold in general retail outlets, but instead Ruhama are appealing to people to become ‘friends of Ruhama’- and sell the rings on its behalf. People can find out how to become friends by logging onto www.ruhama.ie.

The support organisation was begun by two orders of sisters, with long experience in working with women on the street, the Good Shepherd Sisters and the Sisters of Our Lady of Charity.
The orders have other support organisations in South America and Thailand, and according to Ms Rowley this international link is very important.

Currently Ruhama is funded from several ‘different pots’, including the Department of Justice, the Probation Board, Victims of Crime and the Health Board, but says Ms Rowley, with the additional funds from the key ring, they hope to be able to do a lot more to reach the women themselves who are being trafficked.

In fact 90 per cent of women in prostitution in Ireland are non-nationals. There is an increase in the number of women who have no network or social support, she says, and many do not speak English. This means all the brochures offering help must be published in many languages.
‘We have to find new ways to reach these women.’

For eighteen years, the organisation has had a van on the streets at night time. When they meet a woman working the streets, they invite her into the back of the van for a cup of coffee.
‘We try to build up trusting networks with women and to support them if they want to get into drug treatment or join a training programme.’

All of the services are tailored to the individual women and the support is ongoing, even when the women have left prostitution.

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