We are coming to the end of an eventful year for Realstars. One of our goals for 2013 was to grow and get more people engaged to on a large scale drive and channel opinion against trafficking and for Fair Sex. We have done this on three levels; the social level, by affecting EU to make stringent legislation; cooperation with companies and brought forth trafficking questions on the sustainable schedule. But the foundation is still our campaigns for Fair Sex, which has engaged on an individual level. In particular, we have visited schools and students have reflected and created art for Fair Sex. See the gallery here
Thanks to our collaboration with Pedagogiskt Centrum, we have developed the interactive browser game Fair Sex: Nätverket, a unique tool for schools who wish to tackle the issue of sex on equal terms, equality and human rights. By connecting two destinies that indicate current problems in society like sexual assault, online bullying, sex trade and trafficking, the matters are visualized in a unique way.
At an EU level, Realstars has been elected in the EU commission’s initiative EU Civil Society Platform, in which non-profit organizations have an important role in helping to implement EU’s strategy to eradicate trafficking. The challenges EU faces in turning developments of increased trafficking are immense. Realstars calls for more decisiveness from the EU commission for taking more forceful measures in order to reduce the demand.
With the initiative Business Against Trafficking we have continued our work with creating a network of influential companies who want to contribute in counteracting trafficking. RealStars’ seminar on November 21;Företags CSR-engagemang i traffickingfrågor turned out to be a good opportunity to exchange experience and distribute understanding of how companies can go from policy to concrete measures in their work. See the program here.
Media paid attention to our work this year and our role as a mouthpiece in the matter has strengthened when we were invited to Aktuellt in connection with France’s Sex Trade Law voting. The result and support for the proposed legislation is historic. We congratulate all our French friends!
Human rights belong to us all. We recently lost a great role model for peace, Nelson Mandela. Therefore, I want to close with some of his wise words that give hope and where every generation can change the world for the better ‘Like slavery and apartheid, poverty is not natural. It is man-made and it can be overcome and eradicated by the actions of human beings.’
Thanks to all of those who helped us during the year. We wish you a HAPPY 2014!
Malin Roux