Weekly Action - 24 July 2023 - Anti-Trafficking Day
World Day against Trafficking in Persons
This Sunday 30 July is the World Day against Trafficking in Persons, when the world focuses on the need to end human trafficking. The International Labour Organisation estimates that there are 24.9 million people in the world today who are victims of human trafficking. Some 20.1 million have been trafficked into modern day slavery for labour in farms, factories, construction or as domestic workers, all with little or no pay, appalling conditions, widespread abuse and few rights. Another 4.8 million have been trafficked for sexual exploitation.[1] Behind every single one of these numbers is a person, like Chantin, a friend of Arise from Nepal. Chantin was discriminated against because in Nepal she gave birth to two daughters, but no sons. Her own husband and family decided to send her overseas to earn money. Chantin was trafficked to a Middle Eastern country as a domestic worker. When she got there she found she had no proper contract, and had to work long hours for very low wages. The family she was working for kept her passport, she had no phone, she was not allowed outside the home, or even to talk to the family she was serving. She wanted to go home but decided to stay for several years to save what she could for her daughters. When she eventually returned home, she faced widespread stigma from her family and community. Chantin now educates and trains other women in her community. She is helping to raise awareness of the dangers of trafficking, challenge social stigma and provide alternatives. Many millions of other women, men and children who have been trafficked remain trapped in modern day slavery.
Our Christian response
The Bible is full of condemnation for those like human traffickers who exploit and abuse the poor and vulnerable, as the book of Proverbs says, “Do not exploit the poor because they are poor and do not crush the needy in court, for the LORD will take up their case” (Prov 22: 22 – 23). As Christians, we are called to do all we can to stand against such injustice, like the prophet Isaiah says, “Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow.” (Isa 1: 16 – 17).
What can we do?
The root cause of human trafficking is poverty. Millions of people living in poor communities in developing countries with few prospects for good well paid jobs, see the opportunity for a better life for themselves and their children, and are easily manipulated by traffickers. To end human trafficking we must tackle the root cause and do all we can to help nations rapidly develop and end extreme poverty, so people have much better prospects and are not driven into the hands of ruthless traffickers.
Arise’s 4 Shifts Campaign looks at what the Bible tells us, and all the lessons from history indicate, works best to reduce and end the poverty that lies behind human trafficking. It finds that 1) Nations need to develop strong and fair national economies to create jobs and wealth. This mean developing a proactive national industrial and economic development strategy that uses a range of policies to create a diverse national economy that progressively moves up the value chain from agriculture to manufacturing to services to the knowledge economy. 2) They can then tax this economy to provide social spending and basic services like healthcare and education, to ensure all benefit, not just the richest in society. All nations that have developed successfully and lifted themselves permanently out of poverty have followed this route.
This week, will you take action as part of Arise’s 4 Shifts Campaign, and urge the UK government to step up its efforts to help low-income nations develop the good jobs and universal access to basic services that can end human trafficking for good?
Take Action
Speak out in advocacy
Write to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in your own words asking the government to immediately scale up UK overseas aid back to 0.7% of Gross National Income and focus this on:
1. Supporting developing nations to lift themselves permanently out of poverty by developing a proactive national industrial and economic development strategy to create a diverse national economy that progressively moves up the value chain from agriculture to manufacturing to services to the knowledge economy.
2. Supporting developing nations to develop effective tax systems to collect tax at an amount equivalent to at least 45% of the national economy (one third from income taxes, one third from wealth taxes and one third from other taxes), and to spend at least two thirds of this on healthcare, education and social protection (pensions, benefits etc.).
Write to the Prime Minister at:
Pray
Pray for all women, men and children everywhere who have been trafficked and are trapped in modern day slavery. Pray that they can be rescued and returned to their families, communities and loved ones. Pray that their nations will develop strong and fair economies, and good public services and social support for poorer families, to end the scourge of trafficking forever.
Give
Give to Christian organisations like Christian Aid, Cafod, International Justice Mission, Tearfund or World Vision who do crucial work helping people to escape from modern day slavery, and supporting families in the most marginalised communities across Africa, Asia and Latin America who would otherwise be at risk of trafficking.
Practical Action
Get involved in the decision-making yourself by joining a political party, and in due course running for office at local or even national level. Use your position within that party to advocate for policies that eliminate poverty and tackle injustices like human trafficking, that establish social justice, restore the environment and build God’s Kingdom.
Ethical Consumption
Help end human trafficking by only buying products and services from companies that ensure there is no modern day slavery in their supply chains. Anything with the Fairtrade mark is fine. Beyond that check out the Ethical Consumer website for further guidance on other companies and goods.
Encourage us and others by letting us know what actions you have taken – message us at info@ariseuk.org, or via Twitter, Instagram or Facebook.
Find out more
It’s great to take this action as individual Christians, but even better to come together with others to pray, discuss, worship, learn, have fun and take action together. Contact Arise if you are interested in joining or starting a local Arise group in your church or area. If you are already in an Arise group, take this action to your wider church, and get them all to do it too.
Find out more about why the world needs 4 Shifts to transition to a green and fair global economy in Arise’s 4 Shifts Report, and how this forms part of God’s bigger vision for our world in the Arise Manifesto.
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[1] Breaking Down Global Estimates of Human Trafficking, Human Trafficking Institute, (12 Jan 2022), https://traffickinginstitute.org/breaking-down-global-estimates-of-human-trafficking-human-trafficking-awareness-month-2022/