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A Salvation Army anti-trafficking group campaigns against newspapers that run trafficking information.
The Salvation Army in the United Kingdom recently launched “Cut it Out!,” continuing its campaign to raise awareness of human trafficking.
With a goal to put an end to sexual services ads in newspapers, the Army focused its efforts on fighting big newspaper business by generating publicity.
In conjunction with International Women’s Day March 8, the Army urged its members to scour their newspapers looking for sexual services ads. If found, they were to cut the ad(s) out and send them to the editor along with a letter explaining their reasons for wanting these advertisements removed, reminding them of potential criminal liability in publishing materials that support or promote offenses associated with trafficking, exploitation or proceeds of crime. By doing this, they deprived the editors of making claims they were unaware of such ads.
The campaign also targeted pop-up advertising on websites.
“On the day that people across the world celebrate the rights and achievements of women, it is vital that we remember that there are women everywhere—possibly only a few doors away—who are being forced against their will to work in the sex trade,” said Major Anne Read, anti-trafficking response coordinator for The Salvation Army. “At The Salvation Army, we encounter the devastation to innocent people’s lives through sexual trafficking on a daily basis. We have been heartened by people’s response so far to the ‘Cut it Out’ campaign and would encourage everyone who can to join us in combating this crime against humanity.”
The desired campaign outcomes of ‘Cut it Out’ are:
1.Raise awareness of the global issue of human trafficking,
2. See the advertising of sexual services in magazines and newspapers made illegal across the U.K.,
3. See an end to pop-up advertising of sexual services/pornography online,
4.Create an ongoing positive impact in communities throughout the U.K. due to the formation of ACT groups and new members
of Start Freedom (both Stop the Traffik initiatives).
