Campaign launched to help locals recognise signs of human trafficking in Mijas

Mijas marked the International Day against Human Trafficking by launching a campaign to fight trafficking on a local scale on September 23.

Local councillor for Equality and Diversity, Natalia Martínez launched the campaign under the slogan ‘I am not a body, I am a life’, to raise awareness about trafficking and exploitation in the local community. Martínez spoke about the need to continue fighting this violation of human rights, highlighting the links with other forms of abuse “99 per cent of victims of human trafficking are women and girls who are also regularly victims of sexual exploitation, forced into prostitution”.

The campaign aims to raise awareness among young people about sex trafficking linked to prostitution services, to prevent people becoming complicit in exploitation. Martínez said “There are 45,000 trafficked women in Spain and cannot accept this any longer”.

Local authorities are launching an educational programme aimed at high school and college age students, to raise awareness about the links between trafficking and use of prostitution services.

The council also drew attention to services available to victims of abuse including the free 018 number and women’s centres.