Ellee Seymour

While the nation is getting to grips with Jonathan Aitken’s new role in leading a much needed prison review for The Centre for Social Justice, I can disclose that he is spending this week touring the UK to promote a campaign against sex trafficking.

He is a keynote speaker for CHASTE - Churches Alert to Sex Trafficking across Europe. Their tour, entitled Love’s Not For Sale, is visiting Birmingham (tomorrow), Cambridge (Thursday, I shall be there), Leeds (Friday) and Edinburgh (next Tues).

While there will naturally be much attention focused on Jonathan’s presence, I am sure that everyone will also enjoy the music of Helen Hicks singing the CHASTE iTune chart-topping song “Love’s Not For Sale”, as well as songs taken from her new album.

The passionate and hugely dedicated Carrie Pemberton, CEO of Chaste, will also be speaking about modern-day sex slavery and what we can do to put an end to it.

Such a bargain too, tickets only cost £3.50, so do book yours here if you can make it.

The question I wanted to ask the environmental panel at yesterday’s Conservative Women’s Association conference was my concern about food security.

I wanted to ask Zac Goldsmith and Lord Melchett whether simply growing organic crops will provide enough food for us all, not only in the UK, but in drought stricken countries like Africa too.

However, the green-blooded Tory ladies gave me no chance, they also had pressing environmental questions which were given precedence, my raised hand remained invisible.

Undeterred, I remained behind and spoke to Lord Melchett afterwards, he is policy director of the Soil Association. He is convinced that organic crops can produce high yields in the UK, sufficient to fill our bellies, as well as those who are starving in Africa. He is going to send me copies of reports which support this view. I look forward to receiving them.

As readers of this blog know, I am a very keen environmentalist, but I also want to be realistic. My concern is whether organic crops can feed the world’s expanding population, that demands on our crops will increase for many reasons, eg. farmers will opt for biofuels which is more profitable. As a result,farmers will need to use fertilisers and pesticides, as well as GMO products which are proven to be safe, to help meet this need.

Just as life is not just “black and white”, neither can it be totally “green” in order to feed the world. Or can it?

There’s no doubt that David Cameron’s announcement on tightening up rape laws is long overdue. It went down a storm when he outlined them at yesterday’s Conservative Women’s Association annual conference.

As things stand, I can understand why some women think twice before reporting they have been raped. It’s a legal minefield for courts of law to debate over what constitutes consent, but the court trial can be worst than the physical violence inflicted on them. I’ve written about it before on this post.

I particularly welcome the fact that Conservatives want to educate young people about this, as well as providing improved financial security to rape centres, several of which have closed in recent years.

The greatest challenge will be the cultural change that David Cameron strives to achieve.

We need widespread cultural change, and addressing this moral failure represents a real challenge to British society: to families, schools, local communities and businesses. We have to be honest: the past decade or so has seen the growing sexualisation of our society, where sex is aimed at an ever younger audience and it’s cool to treat women like sex objects. As I’ve said before, we need those that work in the media and music industry to exercise their responsibility in how they present female role models.

It comes back to that word “respect”.

Rape victims should not have to suffer even further humiliation and degradation in their search for justice, like the tragic case which David Cameron outlined about a 16-year-old girl who committed suicide after her rape ordeal.

You can read his inspirational speech here.