Thanks for your feed back in regards to HCC’s stop.traffick project. The brand stop.traffick was developed after extensive consultation over 2007 with a variety of key external stakeholders including:
• Cambodian nationals
• Expatriates based in Cambodia
• Potential consumers living in overseas
The name of stop.traffick encapsulates the dual objectives of the project:
• Stop the Trafficking of Human Beings – the primary aim of the project is to contribute to the elimination of trafficking in persons through:
o Skilling and generating income for trafficking victims and those at risk to enable them to be economically self sufficient and less vulnerable to trafficking
o Raising awareness about the issue of human trafficking both in Cambodia and overseas
• Stop Traffic(k) through Fashion – To cultivate demand for GDC products by creating high quality, affordable items that are unique, eye catching and immediately discernable from other handicrafts already available in the Cambodian market.
The colours of stop.traffick are violet and teal. These colours were chosen as they were deemed to be unisex, appealing to both female and male consumers.
They were also chosen as they are shades of purple and green - colours that are recognised internationally as being associated with women and feminism - in recognition that trafficking (especially for the purpose of sexual exploitation) overwhelmingly detrimentally affects women and young girls in Cambodia.
To be honest, we never considered the demographic of skaters utilizing the brand to advocate literally “stopping traffic” through skateboarding, as skateboarding is not a popular pastime in Cambodia, but this is definitely something that HCC will keep in mind to be wary of in the future, should we be successful in expanding the project to an American market.
We intentionally kept the brand name slightly cryptic to engender discussions about its meaning (and hence raise awareness of trafficking) and each product comes with a gift card that clearly explains the concept of stop.traffick and details about HCC.
I agree that producing stop.traffick t shirts is an excellent idea and at the moment we are trying to pursue corporate sponsorship to provide the funding to do so. In the mean time, products are limited to the following:
• “Khmer Seven Days of the Week” snap bracelets and reversible cuffs—made in seven different colours of Cambodian raw silk to represent each special Khmer day of the week
• Kromas— both in Medium size to be used as scarves and in Large size to be used as light weight travel towels
• Photo frames— made from raw silk and glass-free for ease of transporting and shipping overseas
• A variety of other items including business card holders, wallets, note book holders, etc
Stop.traffick will be officially launched in the middle of September in Cambodia, and if you would like a copy of our product catalogue, please don’t hesitate to contact me.
Further, if you are able to raise private or corporate sponsorship to enable HCC to produce stop.traffick t – shirts, we would be more than happy to do so. With sufficient funding HCC will upscale the project, including disseminating stop.traffick products to targeted “celebrities” in order to generate buzz about our innovative and worthwhile project.
In the meantime, please do not hesitate to contact HCC should you have any further queries regarding stop.traffick.
On July 16, 2008, the judges reviewed the entries for the Changemakers “Ending Global Slavery” Competition and would like to pass on the following feedback for your entry. Thank you for applying and for your hard work in the field. We are excited to archive your entry to serve as a leading solution for the worldwide community of innovators who are exposing, confronting and ending modern day slavery. We wish you continued luck with your sustainable, innovative, and socially impactful initiatives.
All the best, The Changemakers Team
“The stop.traffick product line is a commendable approach to fight human trafficking in Cambodia. The transparency of this initiative is especially impressive. We would like to connect them with the Emancipation Network in order to share ideas and expand their reach.”
- Changemakers “Ending Global Slavery” Judges: United Nations Global Initiative to Fight Trafficking, International Organization for Migration, Design Within Reach, Vital Voices Global Partnership, Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, Humanity United.
----------
The Changemakers Team
Ashoka's Changemakers
I am really excited by this initiative and in particular the focus on building a brand, stop-traffick. There is a large market for this in North America and elsewhere I am sure. I am curious as to how concerned you are with your brand being constantly identified with your mission. I say this because I can imagine a scenario where your products become popular and those buying are unaware of the mission behind their creation. How much control do you want over that?
This may seem silly, but I began to imagine stop.traffick as a logo printed on t-shirts. A market of consumers that would potentially be interested would be skaters (skaters love t-shirts with messages on them), but perhaps not because of the message you want to send (literally stopping traffic). Would mixed messages be bothersome, or would you not be opposed to expanding sales and having the information be secondary to the product/style/fashion element? I don’t mean to be sarcastic, but only recognizing that an entertainment factor to a mission can help expand the reach of the message.
Is time well spent trying to find a celebrity sponsor that might be willing to offer t-shirts or other limited materials on the website? There are many high-profile bands and artists that would appreciate your work and support your endeavors.
My apologies ahead of time, for obsessing about t-shirts (although I kind of want one now), and if my comments/suggestions/questions are not in-line with the impressive mission/work you are doing.
Sincerely,
Brad
----------
Portland State University, Master of International Management, current student
Dear Terri,
Where are your products sold? How much has been made from the products? What % of the cost do the workers receive? You mention that you were approached by an INGO to produce bags. Which INGO made this request? Could you explain what is included in your "stop.traffick livelihood kits?"
Have you heard of Carpets for Communities? They are also working in Cambodia to stop human trafficking and modern day slavery. They have entered the competition and you can view their entry at the following link: http://www.changemakers.net/node/8413. Perhaps you could work together somehow!
Keep up the good work. I look forward to hearing from you soon.
This project seems really well thought out, well planned and helps the victims feel that they are contributing towards there own futures. Trafficking is a disgusting practice, victims need all the support they can get. Well done!
I visited Cambodia early this year. I was there just a week, and I wish I had time to get to know the people there a bit better. Visiting the ancient temples in Angkor was an amazing experience, but what impacted me the most on my trip was the striking determination of people who were recovering from such fresh wounds from the Khmer Rouge period and still dealing with getting their families and their country back on its feet.
The high incidence of trafficking in Cambodia does nothing to support its people's struggle to heal their country's wounds, and I believe that the HCC's innovative approach is a fantastic proposal aimed at reducing and preventing the abuse and exploitation that results from the horrible and selfish trade in humanity.
I saw some of the worst aspects of that trade on the streets of Phnom Penh and Siam Reap. Some people may only be trying to earn a living, but small children should not be selling trinkets (or themselves) to tourists -- they should be in school. The training programs offered by this project are a valuable means of supporting survivors of trafficking to get their lives back on track in a country that is so heartbreakingly beautiful.
This is a fabulous proposal. Not only does it target a vulnerable group that has already been exploited but gives hope to those that might be being targeted for the trade. By role modeling what is possible and having the enterprise developed in the country of exploitation and managed by the survivors themselves is a great initiative. This could expand hugely. I am part of the Fair Trade Collective in Perth WA and we have great difficulty in getting a range of products that have been developed by the enterprise itself. Other than Oxfam that does a great job there is little to purchase from. I believe that marketed correctly there is a huge market for these products.
This seems like an excellent idea - a sustainable and viable solution to empower victims of this horrible trade through ecnomic means. I think there is a large opportunity to build more awareness of a potential stop.trafik brand in a similar way to fair trade and 'no sweat shops' and then bring these products to overseas markets too. I look forward to seeing some of these products when I visit Cambodia next week!
Keep up the good work HCC
Hi Brad,
Thanks for your feed back in regards to HCC’s stop.traffick project. The brand stop.traffick was developed after extensive consultation over 2007 with a variety of key external stakeholders including:
• Cambodian nationals
• Expatriates based in Cambodia
• Potential consumers living in overseas
The name of stop.traffick encapsulates the dual objectives of the project:
• Stop the Trafficking of Human Beings – the primary aim of the project is to contribute to the elimination of trafficking in persons through:
o Skilling and generating income for trafficking victims and those at risk to enable them to be economically self sufficient and less vulnerable to trafficking
o Raising awareness about the issue of human trafficking both in Cambodia and overseas
• Stop Traffic(k) through Fashion – To cultivate demand for GDC products by creating high quality, affordable items that are unique, eye catching and immediately discernable from other handicrafts already available in the Cambodian market.
The colours of stop.traffick are violet and teal. These colours were chosen as they were deemed to be unisex, appealing to both female and male consumers.
They were also chosen as they are shades of purple and green - colours that are recognised internationally as being associated with women and feminism - in recognition that trafficking (especially for the purpose of sexual exploitation) overwhelmingly detrimentally affects women and young girls in Cambodia.
To be honest, we never considered the demographic of skaters utilizing the brand to advocate literally “stopping traffic” through skateboarding, as skateboarding is not a popular pastime in Cambodia, but this is definitely something that HCC will keep in mind to be wary of in the future, should we be successful in expanding the project to an American market.
We intentionally kept the brand name slightly cryptic to engender discussions about its meaning (and hence raise awareness of trafficking) and each product comes with a gift card that clearly explains the concept of stop.traffick and details about HCC.
I agree that producing stop.traffick t shirts is an excellent idea and at the moment we are trying to pursue corporate sponsorship to provide the funding to do so. In the mean time, products are limited to the following:
• “Khmer Seven Days of the Week” snap bracelets and reversible cuffs—made in seven different colours of Cambodian raw silk to represent each special Khmer day of the week
• Kromas— both in Medium size to be used as scarves and in Large size to be used as light weight travel towels
• Photo frames— made from raw silk and glass-free for ease of transporting and shipping overseas
• A variety of other items including business card holders, wallets, note book holders, etc
Stop.traffick will be officially launched in the middle of September in Cambodia, and if you would like a copy of our product catalogue, please don’t hesitate to contact me.
Further, if you are able to raise private or corporate sponsorship to enable HCC to produce stop.traffick t – shirts, we would be more than happy to do so. With sufficient funding HCC will upscale the project, including disseminating stop.traffick products to targeted “celebrities” in order to generate buzz about our innovative and worthwhile project.
In the meantime, please do not hesitate to contact HCC should you have any further queries regarding stop.traffick.
----------
Laine McDonald
On July 16, 2008, the judges reviewed the entries for the Changemakers “Ending Global Slavery” Competition and would like to pass on the following feedback for your entry. Thank you for applying and for your hard work in the field. We are excited to archive your entry to serve as a leading solution for the worldwide community of innovators who are exposing, confronting and ending modern day slavery. We wish you continued luck with your sustainable, innovative, and socially impactful initiatives.
All the best, The Changemakers Team
“The stop.traffick product line is a commendable approach to fight human trafficking in Cambodia. The transparency of this initiative is especially impressive. We would like to connect them with the Emancipation Network in order to share ideas and expand their reach.”
- Changemakers “Ending Global Slavery” Judges: United Nations Global Initiative to Fight Trafficking, International Organization for Migration, Design Within Reach, Vital Voices Global Partnership, Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, Humanity United.
----------
The Changemakers Team
Ashoka's Changemakers
I am really excited by this initiative and in particular the focus on building a brand, stop-traffick. There is a large market for this in North America and elsewhere I am sure. I am curious as to how concerned you are with your brand being constantly identified with your mission. I say this because I can imagine a scenario where your products become popular and those buying are unaware of the mission behind their creation. How much control do you want over that?
This may seem silly, but I began to imagine stop.traffick as a logo printed on t-shirts. A market of consumers that would potentially be interested would be skaters (skaters love t-shirts with messages on them), but perhaps not because of the message you want to send (literally stopping traffic). Would mixed messages be bothersome, or would you not be opposed to expanding sales and having the information be secondary to the product/style/fashion element? I don’t mean to be sarcastic, but only recognizing that an entertainment factor to a mission can help expand the reach of the message.
Is time well spent trying to find a celebrity sponsor that might be willing to offer t-shirts or other limited materials on the website? There are many high-profile bands and artists that would appreciate your work and support your endeavors.
My apologies ahead of time, for obsessing about t-shirts (although I kind of want one now), and if my comments/suggestions/questions are not in-line with the impressive mission/work you are doing.
Sincerely,
Brad
----------
Portland State University, Master of International Management, current student
----------
Laine McDonald
Dear Terri,
Where are your products sold? How much has been made from the products? What % of the cost do the workers receive? You mention that you were approached by an INGO to produce bags. Which INGO made this request? Could you explain what is included in your "stop.traffick livelihood kits?"
Have you heard of Carpets for Communities? They are also working in Cambodia to stop human trafficking and modern day slavery. They have entered the competition and you can view their entry at the following link: http://www.changemakers.net/node/8413. Perhaps you could work together somehow!
Keep up the good work. I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Dana Frasz
Ashoka's Changemakers
This project seems really well thought out, well planned and helps the victims feel that they are contributing towards there own futures. Trafficking is a disgusting practice, victims need all the support they can get. Well done!
I visited Cambodia early this year. I was there just a week, and I wish I had time to get to know the people there a bit better. Visiting the ancient temples in Angkor was an amazing experience, but what impacted me the most on my trip was the striking determination of people who were recovering from such fresh wounds from the Khmer Rouge period and still dealing with getting their families and their country back on its feet.
The high incidence of trafficking in Cambodia does nothing to support its people's struggle to heal their country's wounds, and I believe that the HCC's innovative approach is a fantastic proposal aimed at reducing and preventing the abuse and exploitation that results from the horrible and selfish trade in humanity.
I saw some of the worst aspects of that trade on the streets of Phnom Penh and Siam Reap. Some people may only be trying to earn a living, but small children should not be selling trinkets (or themselves) to tourists -- they should be in school. The training programs offered by this project are a valuable means of supporting survivors of trafficking to get their lives back on track in a country that is so heartbreakingly beautiful.
This is a fabulous proposal. Not only does it target a vulnerable group that has already been exploited but gives hope to those that might be being targeted for the trade. By role modeling what is possible and having the enterprise developed in the country of exploitation and managed by the survivors themselves is a great initiative. This could expand hugely. I am part of the Fair Trade Collective in Perth WA and we have great difficulty in getting a range of products that have been developed by the enterprise itself. Other than Oxfam that does a great job there is little to purchase from. I believe that marketed correctly there is a huge market for these products.
This seems like an excellent idea - a sustainable and viable solution to empower victims of this horrible trade through ecnomic means. I think there is a large opportunity to build more awareness of a potential stop.trafik brand in a similar way to fair trade and 'no sweat shops' and then bring these products to overseas markets too. I look forward to seeing some of these products when I visit Cambodia next week!
Keep up the good work HCC