The term modern slavery can refer to servitude, forced labour, child exploitation, debt bondage, and everything in between. An estimated 136,000 people in the U.K. are living in modern slavery.
A21; a global non-profit organization, held 33 silent Walk For Freedom marches across the U.K on October 19th to spread awareness and inform the public of human trafficking and the affect that it can have on the community. One of the locations where a Walk For Freedom was held was in Bournemouth.
Rosa Trout, who was the lead host for the The Walk For Freedom March in Bournemouth this past weekend, has been coordinating the Walk For Freedom March in Bournemouth since 2018 after being inspired to do so from her work with the Safe Family for Children Charity.
She said: “The main goal of this event is to raise awareness”
“The main goal of this event is to raise awareness”
The awareness that Trout and A21 have helped raise on human trafficking have led to an increase in turnout for the walk from 130 participants in 2018, to an estimated over 160 participants in 2019.
Trout refused to take credit for helping increase the number of participants. “It’s not about me, this is bigger than me”.
Julia Brown, another head volunteer who has been working with Rosa Trout since 2018, echoed how important one voice can be.
“A drop of water makes an ocean. One voice, your voice, makes a difference.” Brown stated.
“A drop of water makes an ocean. One voice, your voice, makes a difference.”
While knowing that one voice can be important, roughly around 1% of survivors are ever rescued from human trafficking as opposed to them escaping. Even while knowing this statistic, Trout wants people to know that “This event is about giving hope, it is all about giving hope”.
