In March, 2009, the United Nations launched the BLUE HEART Campaign to End Human Trafficking. It was designed to raise awareness of one of the world’s most grievous transgressions against the Human Spirit—the buying and selling of Human Beings. The launch coincided with the International Women’s Day (March 8), the theme of which is “Women and Men United to End Violence Against Women and Girls”

Antonio Maria Costa, Executive Director of the UN Office of Drugs and Crime (UNODC) officially launched the campaign during his address to the World’s Women’s Conference meeting in Vienna, Austria. 

Speaking to the assembled dignitaries, guests and conference participants, Costa spoke of the level of “ignorance about modern slavery”. He also said that “there is also a lot of good will to fight it”.  He spoke of human trafficking as “the worst kind of violence against women, made even more repulsive by the fact that people make money from it”.

“While poverty makes people vulnerable to human trafficking, gender discrimination and sexism are also to blame. Whether it’s burkas or bikinis, the humiliation of women as property or sex objects is an affront to human dignity. It created a market for women and girls who are traded like commodities”, he said. The UN Chief called on everyone to join the campaign “in order to end enslavement and achieve women’s equality”.

The campaign’s symbol is represented by a Blue Heart. This awareness raising symbol illustrates the sadness of those who are trafficked while reminding us of the cold-heartedness of those who buy, sell and traffic our fellow human beings. The use of the blue United Nations color also demonstrates the commitment of the UN to end this crime against human dignity.

Over the past several years, we have also become more aware of the large numbers of children, both boys and girls, who have been stolen, sold, or traded for goods and security to serve as child soldiers or servants to militia and rebel armed groups. Drugged, beaten, and tortured, these children are deprived of their childhood and trained to kill on order, or service those in command as sexual partners.  The psychological damage done to these children—and subsequently to future generations—is immeasurable.

Actualism as an organization has elected to make the United Nations' BLUE HEART Campaign a focal point for Planetary Work during the coming year. We are in a position to make a major contribution to the United Nations planetary effort to end this violation of the Human Spirit by encouraging visitors to the Actualism website to support this project. As Lightworkers in Planetary Service, we all possess the power to engage the Collective Will of Humanity to end this abuse of our brothers and sisters.

Some of the ways that we can do this are:

• Distribute the announcement of the Blue Heart Campaign to anyone you think might be receptive to its message.
  
  
• Display the Blue Heart symbol proudly – where ever you can – Add the Blue Heart to your web links, e-mail, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, etc.
  
  
• Share information about the Blue Heart Campaign with groups you are part of such as the PTA, Civic groups, clubs, church groups, etc.

• Encourage family discussions and activities designed to help children and young people understand the horrors of modern forms of slavery.
  
  
• Recommend that local schools include studies about this global problem as an integral part of their curricula.
  
  
• Be alert to signs of potential victims of modern slavery in your own community.

The only limitations on our effectiveness is the limit of our creative capacity to speak out and our collective will to deal with this problem.