Help launch a viral campaign to educate citizens in Argentina on the reality of sex trafficking in their nation.
Why we care: Many people have inaccurate information about human trafficking, which legitimizes the sexual exploitation of women and children.
How we’re solving this: Exposing the realities of sex trafficking through public awareness campaigns and existing human trafficking laws.
How many of these harmful myths have you heard people say to legitimize sexual exploitation?
- “Sex is the oldest profession in the world.”
- “Men can’t control their sexuality; without prostitution there would be more rape.”
- “Women use the sex industry to get an education, provide for their children, and get out of poverty.”
- “Women choose prostitution because it makes good money.”
The Centro de Encuentros Cultura y Mujer (CECYM) aims to increase the understanding that sex trafficking is violence against women. With 20 years of experience advocating for an end to violence against women, CECYM will launch a viral campaign to educate citizens on sex trafficking. CECYM will publish articles in magazines, educational blogs, and videos; and organize theatrical performances in public spaces. CECYM will also design a captivating billboard that will highlight facts about trafficking in Argentina and current laws that protect women and punish criminals. Thousands of people will view the traveling billboard throughout Buenos Aires, and on CECYM’s website.
Collaborating with partner organizations, CECYM will also train 200 to 300 women and men, including human rights activists, government officials, and citizens dedicated to fighting trafficking, to use effective communication strategies to dispel harmful myths and spread public awareness on what sex trafficking is and existing laws that protect survivors.
Now the facts:
- Many women are recruited into sex work before they are 18 years old, also known as illegal child prostitution and labor.
- The sex industry does NOT reduce rape, 1 in 3 women experience gender-based violence in their lifetime.
- After years of sex work, the majority of women who come from poverty, remain in poverty.
- Sex work is usually not a choice; the majority of women are recruited, tricked, coerced, or trafficked.
- Argentina’s penal code stipulates that the state must provide assistance to survivors of trafficking through counseling, shelter, and reemployment.
Armed with the accurate information, more people will openly speak out against sex trafficking and citizens will advocate for more protective and preventive services for sex workers.