By Servane Mouazan
Trust Women is committed to finding real solutions to empower women and to fighting slavery worldwide. The annual event brings together global corporations, lawyers, government representatives, and pioneers in the field of women’s rights and anti-slavery.
Here are my five key take away points from today, Day One, of the Trust Women Conference (You can read more about the event and its content here):
1- Let’s talk about abolitionism
We are normalising slavery and human trafficking to a terrifying point. Our consumer responsibility needs a strong awakening. This is not just something for big companies to do. This is a matter for personal and neighbourhood mobilisation.
2- Making an impactful investment starts with £1
We can grow our awareness when we stop and think in an empathetic way. You contribute to slavery until the moment you shop differently. Entrepreneurialism and impact investment start the minute you put even £1 in someone else’s hand.
3- Explore fundamental behaviours for change
There is no straight forward solution. Growing cultural sensitivity, deepening anthropology, investigating taboo topics, questioning, challenging authorities when they do not implement the law, understanding that systems are complex and intertwined, are necessary underpinning skills and behaviours, if we want to grow as contributors of change.
4- How do you use words
Semantics are crucial. We can’t talk about “victims”, we talk about survivors. We can’t talk about just migrants, when we are in fact referring to refugees and asylum seekers. And adult women are not “girls”, they are qualified, valuable individuals with a right to a dignified present and future.
5- What is your pledge
Yes there is fear, there is despair in the current political climate. The nativist and populist trends, the rise (or disclosure of) white supremacy, toxic masculinity, rotten capitalism and abused humanity. I have only one pledge: i will not desist, I will stay connected, I will keep hoping, I will resist… and I will keep in action.