Cross Border Initiatives

Human Trafficking is the term used to describe the buying and selling of people in Modern Day Slavery , which is more prolific now than at any point in world history. Europe is at the centre of a global epidemic in this trade, which now ranks higher than the selling of guns and drugs as the business of choice within organised crime. Cross border initiatives works to disrupt this trade in people by impacting supply and demand with well thought through responses to have the greatest impact on traffickers and protect children.

The work of CBI began in 2009 when founder members Gaz Kishere and Steve Leach planned a 5,000 mile winter road trip through Europe’s Trafficking routes. Visiting 14 countries we managed to find counter trafficking projects in each country to spend time with and to learn from. Since then and through the work of Love146 (an International counter child trafficking organisation), we have worked on new initiatives with many of the groups we met.

From the state sanctioned brothel districts of Germany, being ganged up on by 15 pimps in the Czech Republic to hire underage girls for 15 Euros, to the Nigerian girls in the back streets of Athens, one moment playing like children together, the next chasing cars for sex acts to pay off the 60,000 Euro debts to pimps. This road trip laid the foundations for the last 6 years of action in combatting these issues.

Human Trafficking is widespread but it does it no justice to simply state statistics, it is real people, someone’s daughter, someone’s son, someone’s mother and father trapped in sexual slavery, forced labour and many other areas of inhuman exploitation.

CBI’s objective has been to work with existing organisations where possible and bring fresh ideas, methodologies and tools to their Labours. One thing we gained very clearly from our engagement with so many aspects of counter trafficking work was that there were very few ‘wins’ and that it was frustrating and heart breaking work with little progress for those working on the frontline. Our hope is to make every effort, every labour of love and passion count, for each and every person to make the difference they are hoping to see.

Much of our recent work has been in Greece amidst the refugee crisis where state organisations and charities are overwhelmed and failing to meet even basic needs. It is estimated that there are 3,000 refugee children sleeping on the streets of Greece.

We continue to work relationally and strategically in partnerships across Europe, helping those who work with vulnerable people, who protect young people from exploitation and harm. By sharing our expertise and understanding of organisations, vision and delivery, we are working hard to keep such organisations in the game and serving those in need.

We are kept focused because of comments like this from someone running a safe home for girls rescued from brothels,

CBI, please do all that you can to stop these girls coming, because it is so very hard to help them once they are hereAnonymous, victim support

We are able to do this, because of people like you, standing with us.