In early December, around forty participants gathered for a competence day in Karlstad, focusing on the Thai massage industry and the challenges of combating labor and sexual exploitation. The event was organized by regional coordinators, RealStars, and the County Administrative Board of Värmland. Another initiative in the region has been a campaign aimed at reducing… Read more »
Throughout the fall, RealStars Stockholm has been able to continue its important work of reaching out to women working in Thai massage parlors. This work plays a crucial role, as our process leader often has the opportunity to visit salons and discuss the situation with the women there. Some of them face daily sexual violence… Read more »
The campaign website for Happy Ending is now live. A glance at the website gives those seeking to purchase sexual exploitation something to reflect on, as it reclaims the original meaning of the term. RealStars’ goal is to engage a wide audience in working toward a zero-tolerance vision, where no one is subjected to sexual… Read more »
Kvinnor Emellan [Between Women] met in the middle of October in Gothenburg. We had as usual a worthwhile discussion and a good exchange of experiences, and this time we were four participants who all have had coaching with “Växtkraft Thai”, an individually adapted support to change. This support has led to us taking one more… Read more »
The demand for prostitution and human trafficking is driven by sex buyers, placing women in vulnerable situations. RealStars can only confirm what the police have observed: many salon owners are complicit in these dynamics – either by facilitating or ignoring employee exploitation. Through the Växtkraft Thai project, funded by the Inheritance Fund, we are taking… Read more »
The Realstars project Växtkraft Thai has recently begun to form, the aim is to provide support and better conditions for young women working at Thai massage institutes in Gothenburg, Malmö and Stockholm. The core is to be able to work in a serious and safe environment, within a healthy business and without stigma. The… Read more »
