Stop the Traffik
The year 2007 marks the 200th anniversary of the abolition of slavery in Britain.
A bill calling for the abolition of the slave trade was finally passed in the British Parliament – after much opposition – and became law on 25th March 1807.
Tragically, human trafficking survives, even thrives, today. Indeed it is one of the fastest growing crimes in the world. It is estimated that between 600,000 and 800,000 men, women and children are bought and sold worldwide every year in an operation which the United Nations estimates produces profits of $US5-7 billion annually.
Trafficking also takes place in countries such as Australia. Because trafficking is illegal there are no accurate figures on the number of people trafficked to Australia, however it is estimated that there are typically up to 1000 young women in debt bonded prostitution at any one time who have been trafficked from South East Asia.
Human trafficking is a gross violation of human rights. People who are trafficked suffer unspeakable horrors. The fear, degradation and cruelty they experience is dehumanising and is an affront to our humanity. The underlying cause of people trafficking is poverty – the lack of resources and denial of opportunity that robs people of hope and leaves them vulnerable to being exploited and marginalised.
Poverty is a driving force behind trafficking. People who are poor, who are struggling to find the basic necessities of life, can too easily become the prey of people smugglers. We cannot stop the trafficking if we fail to combat the causes of poverty.
Last year hundreds of thousands of Australians joined the global campaign to Make Poverty History. It is a campaign to pressure political leaders to support the world’s blueprint to halve chronic poverty by 2015 – the Millennium Development Goals. They were everyday people who are angered that even today in our world a child dies every three seconds because of poverty. It is a campaign that has seen world leaders like UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, statesmen like Nelson Mandela and celebrities like U2 rocker Bono – come together to demand action.
Like the Make Poverty History campaign there also needs to be urgent action to combat the trafficking of people who are often vulnerable and living in poverty.
World Vision and The Salvation Army have launched a new campaign in order to bring an end to the evil trade in human beings. Stop The Traffik aims to speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, reflecting the scripture’s demand (Proverbs 31:8) that we defend the rights of all who are destitute.
More than 200 years ago a central figure in the push to end the slave trade was a Christian named William Wilberforce. Wilberforce worked tirelessly and suffered much opposition, but it was he who introduced the bill that finally heralded the demise of Britain’s organized trade in human beings.
Wilberforce was obedient to God’s call on his life and used his skill and his vocation to help to bring about an end to the horrors of the trans-Atlantic slave trade.
The challenge for the Church to be salt and light in the world, and to live out the Biblical injunction to love our neighbours, is just as strong today as it was in Wilberforce’s day. There is a great need for Christians to take up the challenge to speak up for those people who are vulnerable, poor and exploited.
Jesus said, I have come that they might have life and have it to the full. (John10:10). The 12 million men, women and children who live in contemporary slavery, need our voice, our support and our prayers. We encourage you to get involved and support this vital global campaign.
(signed)
| Commissioner James Knaggs | Commissioner Les Strong | |
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The Salvation Army Australia Southern Territory |
The Salvation Army Australian Eastern Territory |
See also
