Cantopop star Jill Vidal launches jewellery range to support victims of sex trafficking
After finding faith and overcoming addiction, Cantopop star explains why she has decided to help victims of sex trafficking
You designed your new jewellery collection to help raise money for women who are victims of sex trafficking and prostitution. Why do you feel it is so important to support these women?
It has been in my heart to help these ladies who have either been tricked or forced into the sex industry. I have heard a lot of stories about their deep mental scars. It really does affect a person when you surrender your whole body to, I don’t know how many men. I think about how I would feel in that situation, or how I would feel if my loved one went through this. Of course I wouldn’t want them to be in this situation. That is when I came across Eden Ministry. My heart just wanted to help these ladies. I decided let’s partner with them; let’s help these women. They have been rescued out of it and they now have a safe haven where they can make jewellery. One of the girls I met was from a very poor village and wanted to find work in the city; a guy promised her that but he turned out to be a pimp. She wound up in an environment that she couldn’t get out of; she was threatened and tortured.
How do you think we can help to empower women in society, particularly the underprivileged?
I think education is really important. We need to look at the cause of why it’s happening and the damage it causes the victims. Also look at how can we raise awareness and prevent this issue from coming up. These women should have counsellors. They should be able to have people who can rehabilitate them, like at Eden Ministry, where they can be safe and regain their own self-worth. So they can build up that confidence so they don’t have to do that work anymore.
The name of your first jewellery collection, ‘46’ has a spiritual significance, as it represents the number of books in the Old Testament. Why did you choose that name?