Episode 22: Making human trafficking as visible as possible - with Ruth Dearnley, OBE, CEO, Stop the Traffik

“You can’t stop what you can’t see.” In this episode we hear from Ruth Dearnley, founder and CEO of Stop the Traffik - an organisation working to prevent human trafficking globally through an innovative, intelligence-led approach. “By shining a light on this hidden crime, and by empowering communities and businesses, we can change the environment and increase the risk to the trafficker and the safety of the vulnerable.” Ruth discusses how trafficking is a complicated issue and a very successful business. She calls it ‘Trafficking Inc’. Impacting around 8 million people per year and valued in excess of $250BN - she explains why it’s been fundamental to fully understand the complex ecology - so that they can better understand what’s required to disrupt it. Of course, as consumers, we don’t necessarily consider what we wear, what we buy and what we invest in to necessarily be associated with human trafficking - but given the enormity of ‘Trafficking Inc’ - it’s likely to be far more connected to our day to day lives than we think. And therefore, as marketers - again, we’re not necessarily aware or thinking about the role human trafficking may play in our very own products, services and supply chains. We discuss the power of storytelling, partnerships and collaboration, data and technology and of course, transparency and intelligence throughout supply chains. Ruth also talks about how data, mobile tech, social media targeting and marketing are working to educate those that are vulnerable and key targets for traffickers. Find out more information about Ruth and the great work she’s leading at Stop the Traffik - and any comments, questions, ideas, suggestions related to the podcast, Get in touch. Due to the COVID19 situation, our podcasts are currently being recorded purely via online conferencing platforms, we apologise for any minor sound quality issues.