Guest speaker on 7th October was retired GP and now novelist Dr Pam Cairns. She spoke about ‘The Truth Behind the Fiction’ - a reference to her novels, which address the brutal topics of abuse, modern day slavery and child trafficking.

We heard of Dr Cairn’s work helping to provide primary heath care to the Amazonian Indians. These peoples, who are hunters, fishermen and farmers are enticed to cities in the hope of a better way of life. The reality being an impoverished life in diseased, sprawling slums with polluted water and with street children, unloved and abandoned.

Sadly we heard too of overwhelming difficulties in India, where again abuse of children, girls and women is widespread. There is also the need to provide care for children of sex workers.

But we also learned of work being done jointly by the Free to Live Trust and the Rotary Club of Pune Amonara where, following two years of fundraising, a modern home for girls has been built - and now followed by one for boys. These are achievements that have attracted Rotary Global funding. More about the Free to Live Trust and about SEEMA’s Project can be found at (https://freetolivetrust.org.) 

Shockingly we heard that human trafficking can also be found very close to home, here in Scotland. Hidden in plain sight - with often young people, including immigrants, held in very poor living conditions and working in the fields, car washes, nail bars, restaurants and brothels. The ‘Human Trafficking Act, Scotland’ was an important legal step in helping to combat this abuse.

Her advice was to be alert to these abuses and to act by contacting the police or Crime Stoppers where there are concerns. 

Dr Cairns told us of the importance of work being done by The Vine Trust and again of the Free to Live Trust, which works in partnership with the Church of Scotland Guilds.

Following questions a vote of thanks was proposed by clubmember George Hunter, who made the point that our thanks were best reserved for the work that Dr Cairns and her colleagues have done to expose abuse and to help alleviate suffering.