Major victory in Europe

Major victory in Europe : the EU Parliament calls on Member States to implement all the components of the Abolitionist model on prostitution

We’re thrilled to share this press release written by CAP International, a coalition of which IROKO is a member, which explains the recent victory at the EU Parliament.

The Report adopted by the European Parliament calling for the adoption of the abolitionist model in all member states fits perfectly with the Italian context where, due to persistent migratory flows arriving especially from the African continent, trafficking in persons for the purpose of sexual exploitation continues to be an endemic phenomenon.

The introduction in Italy of a full-blown abolitionist model that provides for the criminalisation of those who purchase a sexual service and concrete exit services for women in prostitution would mean not only putting in place a concrete action against  human trafficking but also clearly enshrining the inviolability of women’s bodies. It would mean putting an end to the prostitution system, which is a system fueled by social inequalities, exploitation and based on the disparity of rights between men and women.

The Italian abolitionist movement, therefore, will continue to strive for our state to implement in full the recommendations expressed by the European Parliament and will persevere in advancing the principle that prostitution cannot be considered a job like any other because it is detrimental to the dignity of the human being.

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Thailand: Convention in Greece on Human Trafficking

On 8 May 2023, the Royal Thai Embassy in Athens welcomed the delegation from the Department of Special Investigation (DSI), Thailand’s Ministry of Justice, headed by Police Major Siriwish Chantechasitkul, Director of the Human Trafficking Crimes Bureau. The delegation visited Greece in order to participate in the Workshop “Integrated for Human Trafficking in Europe.” Both sides exchanged views on the prosecution and prevention of human trafficking crimes, as well as the protection of Thai nationals in Greece for future cooperation and inter-agency coordination.

As part of the Workshop “Integrated for Human Trafficking in Europe” – organised by DSI Networks in Europe on 7 May 2023 – Mr. Pornsith Pibulnakarintr, Chargé d’Affaires of the Royal Thai Embassy, delivered an opening remark and gave a presentation under the topic of “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Role in Providing Assistance in Human Trafficking Cases.” Approximately 50 DSI volunteers from different European countries participated in this workshop.

Seminars and Workshops on the topic of human trafficking and related laws of the European DSI network included Thai members living in 12 countries: Thailand, Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Netherland, Norway, Slovenia, Spain and Switzerland.

We had seminars at The War Museum of Greece and the Ambassador of Thailand in Greece gave a speech at the opening session to educate the members. There were also other qualified speakers, including: 

Police Major Siriwit Chantechasitkul, Director of Human Trafficking Litigation Division
Ms. Natthaphon Bunyakorn, Director of the Crime Prevention Network
Mrs. Kanoklada Charoensiri, Director of Inspection Division 2, Technology and Center Division
Mr. Paphawin Manyawut, Special Case Investigation Officer, Special Expertise
duty Deputy Director of Human Trafficking Litigation Division
Mr. Thanaphong Worasiha, 
Special Investigators Ms. Wirawan Mosby, NGO from The Hug Project, Thailand
Dr. Esohe Aghatise from Iroko Onlus, Italy.

Our Director Esohe Aghatise spoke on trafficking and prostitution and explained why it would be a disaster for Thailand to adopt the German or Dutch models on prostitution.




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DICK PICS 101: PLEASE ACKNOWLEDGE THE DICK

DICK PICS 101: comment on Please Acknowledge the Dick’: Inside a catfishing factory written by Yağmur Uygarkızı

‘PLEASE ACKNOWLEDGE THE DICK
*    -> if a customer shares a photo of it, pay it a compliment
*    -> if they mention their size in inches, say something positive
*    > if they bring it up, encourage them to show you it
The worst thing that you can do is ignore the dick pic
OUR BUSINESS IS PROVIDING ENTERTAINMENT AND FANTASIES’

A journalist went undercover in a sex-chat company. What did he find out? What feminists already knew.

For more than a $1 per message, men get to have sexual conversations with what they think are actual women. Operators, based anywhere in the world, from Zimbabwe to the Philippines, are paid ‘$0.06 per message’. A woman reported: “I had to work so much, like 10 hours a day, just to earn a decent amount. That’s why I stopped. It’s good part-time, but you can’t actually depend on it,”

Read More

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Press Conference: the Nigerian film Òlòturé to combat sex trafficking

INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY UNITES TO SUPPORT EFFORTS TO COMBAT
SEX TRAFFICKING IN NIGERIA WITH THE SCREENING OF OLOTURE IN ABUJA AND BENIN CITY

WHAT: The Gloria Steinem Equality Fund to End Sex Trafficking and its local partner Associazione Iroko Onlus invite you to a press conference on sex trafficking prior to the screening of Nigerian film Òlòturé directed by Kenneth Gyang and produced by EbonyLife Films. The film will be followed by a high-level panel discussion on sex trafficking and a reception. This event has been jointly supported by the Embassies of Argentina, France, Italy, Spain, Sweden and the United States as well as FIIAPP and UN Women.

Here you can find the full text.

Press review:

National Accord Newspaper

Press Conference video

Kapital FM Abuja on Twitter

Daily Asset

New publication: Gender-specific integration model

New publication: Gender-specific integration model (GeSIM) for victims of trafficking for sexual exploitation and abuse 

In order to effectively implement gender-specific integration programmes for female third country nationals who are victims of trafficking in human beings (THB), service providers need to integrate gender as well as cultural sensitivity into their everyday work. This handbook is a step towards strengthening victim support service providers and your individual capacity as practitioner in taking gender-specific approaches and setting up gender-specific support programmes for women victims of THB.  

The Gender-specific integration model (GeSIM) is published within the framework of the project COALESCE: Legal, Psycho-social and economic empowerment for the integration of women third country nationals (TCN) victims of human trafficking (VoT) for sexual exploitation and abuse (Coalesce Project EC AMIF: 958133), led by the Mediterranean Institute of Gender Studies (MIGS) (Cyprus). 

Partners: Cyprus Refugee Council (Cyprus), CARITAS Cyprus, IROKO Onlus (Italy), Marta Centre (Latvia), European Network of Migrant Women, Immigrant Council Ireland, Solwodi(Germany),  KSPSC  (Lithuania). 

The GeSIM handbook is available in: English, German, Greek, Italian, Latvian and Lithuanian.

 

For more information on the COALESCE Project and our other publications, click here.

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Legal frameworks and State responsibility: conversation with Mickey Meji e Sigma Huda

The series of webinars entitled Debunking Sex Work, organized by Associazione Iroko Onlus, saw us host Mickey Meji, survivor, activist and founder of the SESP Survivor Empowerment & Support Programme, and Sigma Huda, lawyer at the Bangladeshi Supreme Court, former special rapporteur on trafficking, in particular women and children, for the United Nations, in the penultimate of seven meetings.

With regard to sexual trafficking, Sigma reminded us that the national legislative systems are based on three models, adopted to counter/regulate the phenomenon of prostitution:

    1. the prohibitionist model
    2. the regulatory model
    3. the abolitionist model

    Read More

Unforgettable: I started from scratch

The COALESCE project aims at providing support to female migrant victims of trafficking for sexual exploitation in Europe through gender-specific psycho-social, legal and economic support and assistance. 

Within the framework of the COALESCE project we are happy to announce a series of blog posts that bring forward the stories and perspectives of migrant women victims of trafficking in their integration journeys in Europe. 

Today we bring you “Unforgettable: I started from scratch”, written by a women accompanied and supported by our partner SOLWODI (Germany). 

Involving five European countries – Cyprus, Latvia, Italy, Lithuania, Ireland, and Germany – our partnership is set to develop synergies and complementarities in facilitating needs identification, assistance and support, and improve transnational cooperation among frontline professionals and practitioners in the field of trafficking of women for sexual exploitation.

This project is funded by the European Union Asylum Migration and Integration Fund. 

Learn more about the COALESCE project here.

“Unforgettable: I started from scratch”
Life, as they say, cannot be predicted. Wanting to live a normal life is asking too much but, what is the dream of every child that has been born into this world? Well, they can still dream. They are still babies, and their parents are responsible. A very important question is what happens to the child when parents or the family that is supposed to love and care for the child are the ‘problem’ – when they are the oneshurting the child. An innocent child, a sweet girl. I didn’t ask to be born. It wasn’t my fault that I was born into this world, and I didn’t choose my parents or family. I did nothing wrong. I grew like every normal kid until life took a U-turn when my mother remarried. I never knew my father. Having a new daddy changed everything for me: I became the bad blood, the one who everybody blames for everything. I wasn’t allowed to make mistakes, like every other child. When I did, they hit me at the slightest provocation. I never understood why everything changed, why they hated me. I mean, what does an 8-year-old child know?

Continue reading this story…

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Child10 Launch Best Practice Report with IROKO and other 2021 Awardees

Today, on the occasion of the International Day against Sexual Exploitation and Trafficking of Women and Children 2021, Child10 have released the report on Best Practices in Programming for Child Victims of Trafficking and Commercial Sexual Exploitation.
 
The report gathers best practice examples from the Child10 2021 Awarded Member Organizations working directly with child victims and children at risk of commercial sexual exploitation and trafficking throughout Europe. Associazione IROKO is very proud to be one this year’s awarded members and to have contributed to this report.
 
 
Read the report in full.