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The Modern Day Slave Trade - Our Response
Created in the Image of God
Psalm 139
Genesis 1
26 Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground."
27 So God created man in his own image,
in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them.
How is the image of God expressed in you?
What types of slavery exist today?
Bonded labour affects millions of people around the world. People become bonded labourers by taking or being tricked into taking a loan for as little as the cost of medicine for a sick child. To repay the debt, many are forced to work long hours, seven days a week, up to 365 days a year. They receive basic food and shelter as 'payment' for their work, but may never pay off the loan, which can be passed down for generations.
Early and forced marriage affects women and girls who are married without choice and are forced into lives of servitude often accompanied by physical violence.
Forced labour affects at least 12.3 million people who are illegally recruited by individuals, governments or political parties and forced to work – usually under threat of violence or other penalties.
Slavery by descent is where people are either born into a slave class or are from a 'group' that society views as suited to being used as slave labour.
Trafficking involves the transport and/or trade of people – women, children and men – from one area to another for the purpose of forcing them into slavery conditions.
Worst forms of child labour affects an estimated 179 million children around the world in work that is harmful to their health and welfare.
An estimated 1.2 million children trafficked each year. (UNICEF UK Child Trafficking Information sheet, January 2003)
The majority of trafficked victims arguably come from the poorest countries and poorest strata of the national population. (A global alliance against forced labor, International Labour Organisation, 2005)
Trafficking is the fastest growing means by which people are caught in the trap of slavery. (Anti-Slavery)
Human trafficking is the third largest source of income for organised crime, exceeded only by arms and drugs trafficking. (UN office on drugs and crime)
It is the fastest growing form of international crime, already generating 7 billion dollars per year in criminal proceeds. There are even reports that some trafficking groups are switching their cargo from drugs to human beings, in a search of high profits at lower risk. (UN office on drugs and crime)
People are trafficked into prostitution, begging, forced labour, military service, domestic service, forced illegal adoption, forced marriage etc.
Types of recruitment; include abduction, false agreement with parents, sold by parents, runaways, travel with family, orphans sold from street or institutions.
Luke 4v16-20 The Freedom mandate
16He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. And he stood up to read. 17The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:
18"The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to release the oppressed,
19to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."
20Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him, 21and he began by saying to them, "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."
Gal 4v4-7 The Cost of Freedom
4But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, 5to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons. 6Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, "Abba, Father." 7So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir.
Romans 6v18 The Responsibility of Freedom
18You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.
What could we do as individuals and a group?
Ignorance isn’t an acceptable excuse.
Educate yourself and buy responsibly – back to fairtrade
Pray
Raise awareness for others
The Stop the Traffik Good Chocolate Guide
Where did all the chocolate come from?
Nearly half the world's chocolate is made from cocoa grown in the Cote D'Ivoire, in Africa.
12,000 children have been trafficked into cocoa farms in Cote D'Ivoire
When we buy chocolate we are being forced to be oppressors ourselves as we have no guarantee that the chocolate we eat is 'traffik free'
http://www.setallfree.net/index.html
http://www.stopthetraffik.org/language.aspx
http://www.notforsalecampaign.org/
http://www.antislavery.org/homepage/campaign/whatwebuy.htm
http://www.chaste.org.uk/
http://www.tearfund.org/Extra/Freedom+Day/
http://www.christian-aid.org.uk/
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