A church youth group is tackling the tough subject of human trafficking in a bid to raise awareness of the issue.
The initiative, called Not For Sale, has seen youngsters from South Hill Church designing posters and clothing to raise money for a Brazilian charity which rehabilitates female victims of forced prostitution.
Grace Masters, 16, of Hemel Hempstead School, is helping lead the campaign. She said: “When our lives are so comfortable, and everything is handed to us on a plate, it is easy to not think about the people in the world who have nothing.
“We have freedom and we have a voice, we want to stand together to speak up for the 27 million people being trafficked globally.”
The group, which has already held a focus group of 20 people with a talk by MP for Hemel Hempstead Mike Penning, hopes to run a town centre awareness event in April.
Suzie Shiells, who runs the youth group at South Hill, said: “The fact they are so motivated to make a difference is inspiring. Human trafficking is such a huge cause to take on but they are not at all scared about that.”
The global problem of trafficking is also being highlighted by Herts Police, who are supporting Crimestoppers’ Read The Signs initiative with an interactive video on their Facebook page.
A recent UK report also suggested foreign national women who have been trafficked are not getting the right level of support.
Det Insp Mick Trotman said: “We are continuously working with other agencies to raise awareness around the crime of human trafficking and would support any organisation or individual wanting to raise awareness of such an issue.
“We would urge anyone who suspects that human trafficking is taking place, or is about to take place to contact police immediately.”
Visit ‘Not For Sale, against human trafficking’ on Facebook for more information.