Azalea
Charity of the Month
About Azalea
Azalea long to see men, women and communities walk free from the injustice of sex trafficking. A seemingly insurmountable global issue which takes place on our doorstep. Men buy sex, women are sexually exploited and communities are negatively impacted. Azalea, offers care, support and hope to each one.
Their hope is that through their Flint and Encompass programmes, underpinned by their fundamental belief that each and every person deserves to be treated with love, compassion and dignity, men and women like those we’ve described, will allow them to support and facilitate them to make choices which will lead them into living a life free from addiction and sexual exploitation. They also have a Walking Outreach team, and a specialised Anti Sex Trafficking support team as part of their Tamar Project, alongside their Flint and Encompass programmes. Their LAST (Luton Against Sex Trafficking) initiative plays an instrumental role in the local communities impacted by sex trafficking, and they are a founding member of FACES (Faiths Against Child Sexual Exploitation) which is an inter-faith partnership in Luton tackling Child Sexual Exploitation with a focus on faith communities.
Their Challenges
Azalea’s Drop-in continues to see an increase in the number of guests at each of the three sessions across the week. Alongside this, their support for those who have been internationally sex trafficked is also experiencing increased demand. The war in Ukraine is contributing to this demand and traffickers are prevalent in refugee camps preying upon those who are desperate to find safety. Azalea’s funding streams are also being directly affected by the war.
Their Achievements / Goals
There are countless stories of the impact Azalea has on men, women and communities caught up in sex trafficking. Just this week, the Encompass team have taken care of a young girl, trafficked internationally into Luton, enabling her to secure safe accommodation away from her perpetrators. Another guest spent time with the Encompass team, listening to the harrowing stories of the abuse, violence and exploitation that are part of her everyday existence. And yet another, who suffers from significant mental health issues as a result of her long-term trauma was taken to A&E for emergency care. A new client started working with Flint, with the aim of reducing his use of pornography and sex buying behaviour. Flint clients who have completed their mentoring programmes met together for a newly established Peer Support group.
Azalea's 100 Miles In May
