‘Stop the Trafficking, Stop the Tears, Free Them from their Tormented Years’ are the poignant words written by a member of Soroptimist International at the outset of our campaign against human trafficking in 2008, and which are repeated in part alongside our purple teardrop icon now.

The teardrop represents the suffering of those women and children who are trafficked, exploited and abused throughout the world, including in our local communities. Why purple? The Purple Teardrop Campaign is a Soroptimist International initiative and follows the work against human trafficking done by European and Northern England Soroptimists whose campaign colours and ribbons are purple.

The Purple Teardrop Campaign’s patron is the celebrated writer Louis de Bernieres who has expressed his deep concern about human trafficking and in particular the desperate suffering of trafficked victims.