Notes from JB Trust Consultation – Group Discussions May 2011
Group 1- Paul:
If Josephine Butler were alive today, what do you think she would be doing?
- Using contacts at the top, pushing doors, working below
- As Christians we need to come out and stand up
- Inspired by what Julie said- JB would want to be there
With the Josephine Butler Trust’s limited resources, what should our KEY priorities be for the next 5 years?
- Seed corn funding to new projects
- Help make ideas of Josephine Butler more widely known, especially in schools where she could be a role model (This could involve producing teaching and learning materials on a citizenship/ social history module)
- Aspiration to achieve more than ‘achieved’
- Match funding by other organisations
- Challenged- need to be clear where we want to go
How can Josephine Butler Trust develop this vision in Greater Merseyside?
- Network –are there other similar bodies we could network with? (E.g. Sheila Kay)
Group 2 -Ricky:
If Josephine Butler were alive today, what do you think she would be doing?
- Tackling trafficking- especially girls and children for slave labour
- Encouraging and supporting police policies – all officers now have awareness of trafficking on their role description.
- Challenging other police policies – ie domestic abuse is now devolved to local units in the police force
- Raising public awareness of what is happening and also being aware of things that are emerging
- For instance - Facebook/ grooming on the internet (Eastenders story line on grooming)
- She would be actively engaging in schools work
- Would she be raising really difficult issues? Maybe about legalising all drugs and legalising properly managed brothels?
With the Josephine Butler Trust’s limited resources, what should our KEY priorities be for the next 5 years?
- Recognising that the media is the key to increasing awareness
- Publicity, awareness of sex trafficking
- Addressing cutbacks to agencies tackling alcohol, drug, sex, domestic abuse
- Campaign for increase in resources to agencies
- Addressing residual prejudice in the police force e.g. comment from officer ‘you deserve violent treatment because of what you do’, also simply handing out fines which means girls have to ‘work’ more to cover it
Group 3- Jen:
If Josephine Butler were alive today, what do you think she would be doing?
- Network; half-way houses receiving addicts, prisoners, etc in spiritual environment; hostels- homeless, from care- prevention work
- Website
- Trafficking, genital mutilation of women among other races
- Sex tourism; pole dancing, kissograms
- Challenging us to think about the unthinkable
- Faith, offering choices
- Working through government, parliament (Caroline Cox)
- Sex trade where there are military bases
- Working interfaith
- Nonjudgmental
- Question time- any media; standards on tv, i-player, mobile phones, chat room
- Page 3 girls, sexualising of children (bye - buy childhood campaign[MU] )
With the Josephine Butler Trust’s limited resources, what should our KEY priorities be for the next 5 years?
- Prostitution, supporting street workers
- Support workers for girls, be-frienders
- Awareness- projects to make people aware of problems of trafficking, etc
- Raise awareness in parishes of issues, theological colleges
- Homeless women, organisations fighting domestic violence
How can Josephine Butler Trust develop this vision in Greater Merseyside?
- Website, internet
- Social media, facebook, twitter
- Networking - National Christian Alliance on Prostitution
Group 4 - Lynn:
If Josephine Butler were alive today, what do you think she would be doing?
- Raising profile with media
- Promoting Christian based social care
- Networking opportunities, links-don’t make assumptions that links already exist
- Identify gaps- in service, demographics
- Enabling workers to break cycle –exit!
- Tell stories about individuals
- Attitudinal change- policy and practice
With the Josephine Butler Trust’s limited resources, what should our KEY priorities be for the next 5 years?
- Attract local applicants
- Increased Opportunities for speaking out for those involved in trafficking (lobbying)
- Target allocations e.g. work at looking at the role and need for interpretation with disadvantaged groups
- Bid development tendering processes
How can Josephine Butler Trust develop this vision in Greater Merseyside?
- Increased networking – locally
Group 5 -Paula:
If Josephine Butler were alive today, what do you think she would be doing?
- Supporting parents who are pressurised by teenage girls’ dress code and behaviour; exploitation of children (‘bye buy childhood’);
- Parenting courses for young people
- Addressing reasons why there is dependency on alcohol, drugs, etc
- Young women from courts on licence – outreach programmes, mentoring
- Supporting young women (and young men) in emotional aftermath of terminations
With the Josephine Butler Trust’s limited resources, what should our KEY priorities be for the next 5 years?
- Promote wider networks e.g. young woman going home after support on Merseyside returns to home area without support networks to continue her progress
- Promote examples of supportive activities for ‘recovering’ women (e.g. choir)
- Offer negotiating skills for young women
- Help people who feel disempowered- having the conversations, maybe doesn’t cost money
PP/END
15/6/11