The NO Project focuses on youth education for two reasons.
Youth are the target
First, young people are the target. Traffickers know that older teens and young adults are likely to be more vulnerable and more willing to take a risk, especially when the risk is presented as an exciting romantic adventure or a wonderful way to make good money – and fast. With smiling eyes, false promises and lies traffickers will do what it takes during the grooming or recruitment process.
Consumer buying power
Second, young people today have consumer buying power for the next 50-60 years, and slavery is in the supply chain of our daily products. Youth today are the consumers, clients, managers, suppliers, managers, business owners, CEOs, lawyers, policy makers and leaders of the future. Their knowledge base will impact decisions they make – decisions which can have a long term, sustainable impact. Human trafficking and modern slavery is not present in mainstream education. Yet, it impacts our daily lives. Our goal is create a well-informed, pro-active youth population who understand the scale and immediacy of modern slavery and human trafficking. Knowledge is power that leads to change.
The NO Project values the power and skills of young people to influence attitudes and change behaviour. Their ability and willingness to confront those who sustain the demand for human trafficking and modern slavery lies at the heart of this campaign. To reach and inform the next generation we need the support of educators and academics involved in pedagogy. Our approach is based on the principle that education includes: global citizenship, ethical decision- making and protection.
All student-driven actions reflect The NO Project values – with intentional avoidance of clichéd, inaccurate, exploitative narratives often associated with trafficking and slavery. Only through well-informed, pro-active, non-sensationalist understanding of this crime will the next generation be able to confront slavery – be it through governmental policy, corporate legislation, supply chain transparency or ethical consumer behaviour. The perpetuation or abolition of modern slavery now lies in the hands of the future generation.
