Our Village is in Need - Rev Chris frazer
Rev Chris Frazer has returned from the International consultation on ‘Combatting Forced Migration,Human Trafficking, and Increased Cyber Crime in Asia’ in Bangkok.
Below is a copy of her paper.
For more information about the Consultation, please read here
Presentation to the Bangkok consultation
Kia ora koutou , I bring you greetings from our Primates Archbishop Don Tamihere, Archbishop Sione Ulu'ilakepa, and Archbishop Justin Duckworth of the Anglican Church of Aotearoa, New Zealand/ Polynesia. I also bring you greetings From Bishop Ana Fletcher, who is assistant Bishop for the Anglican Diocese of Wellington where I serve as deacon for social justice. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to address this important consultation on people trafficking and our role as a church in addressing this issue.
There is a Maori proverb that states,
He aha te mea nui o te ao? He tangata he tangata he tangata![i]
What is the most important thing in the world? It is people it is people it is people!
This proverb emphasizes the importance of human connection, relationships, and the value of every individual within any given community. It highlights that people are at the heart of everything, shaping communities and enabling collective flourishing. thriving relationships of equality are built on mutual respect, shared decision-making, and an understanding that all of God’s family/whanau’s needs and feelings are equally important.
The African proverb "it takes a village to care" emphasizes that providing adequate support and well-being for individuals often requires the collective effort of a community, rather than solely relying on one person or entity. This proverb, highlights the importance of social connections and shared responsibility in nurturing and caring for all people from the very young to the elderly. It underscores that raising children, caring for the elderly, or providing support in any situation is a collective responsibility. It's not just about individual families or professionals, but about the entire community playing a role.
The "village" signifies, among others, family, friends, neighbours, healthcare professionals, lawyers, social workers, churches and importantly our respective Governments. When a community actively participates and cooperates in care, it can lead to better outcomes, and increased support for those in need.
In Aotearoa New Zealand our village is in urgent need to improve our overall response to trafficking in persons and extreme labour exploitation. Whilst good progress has been made in a number of areas, those of us working in this space over a number of years, acknowledge that more needs to be done.
This was recognised at a recent meeting where the Minister, the honourable Casey Costello, Associate Minister of Immigration, and Associate Minister of Police, met with a number of civil society representatives. The agenda for the meeting was set by the NGOs with the minister listening carefully and responding openly. It was a very helpful meeting and all of us present acknowledged the need for ongoing consultations in order to enable more effective collaboration in addressing the growing criminal activity within the trafficking space.
One overriding concern that was raised at the meeting and indeed is echoed by many NGOs is the lack of Legislation, pointing out that New Zealand is lagging behind many countries who have legislation in place.
Why does legal reform matter? It can enforce corporate accountability and due diligence. It will serve to align NZ law with international human rights standards and it creates pathways for community and corporate transparency.
However, while it is recognised that anti-trafficking legislation can play a crucial role in combating human trafficking, its effectiveness though is contingent on various factors, including robust implementation, comprehensive support for victims, and ongoing efforts to address the root causes of trafficking.
So while such legislation provides a legal framework to prosecute offenders and protect victims, it is not a standalone solution and requires a multi-faceted approach that includes prevention, protection, and prosecution strategies. Above all any law change needs to include provisions for victim identification, wrap around support services, and legal protection, helping survivors to move forwards and rebuild their lives.
The role of faith based organisations and the Church within these local and global dialogues, cannot be overstated. Our voices and our subsequent actions are vital within our troubled world today. Our Diocese, for the past 9 years has given focus to addressing issues relating to people trafficking and migrant labour exploitation.
Working in partnerships with government staff, human rights groups, embassies, businesses, churches, and non-government agencies. Representing our Diocese, we are, as a church, seated around the tables of government, embassies, and numerous other civil society organisations. We listen and learn and we are heard and consulted.
Within the nine years we have coordinated several conferences, set up and chaired the Modern Slavery and Labour Exploitation Advisory Group. on our web site we have a dedicated section for human trafficking resources. Informed and appropriate awareness raising is essential, as are training resources for people/organisations working within the anti trafficking/labour exploitation space. As Deacon for social justice I have taken key issues of injustice into the church through sermons and contributing to the publishing of articles/newsletters, that are widely shared. Furthermore never underestimate the value of morning tea conversations with parishioners following such services.
Finally it is essential to remember that first and foremost all forms of exploitation are a violation of human rights. Therefore it is imperative that any action taken to remedy the situation upholds those rights with the recognition that a ‘one size fits all’ approach may not fit each individual person’s circumstances.
Moreover, while ideally monetary compensation will feature when considering restitution, it is by no means the only appropriate response.
Often the focus when examining disadvantage tends to be monetary, yet dimensions of wellbeing are far wider. Amartya Sen offered a more holistic definition when he described wellbeing as the freedom of individuals to live a life that allows them to fulfil their capacities, to have sufficient available resources to be able to enjoy a healthy life, to have access to knowledge and the freedom to interact socially, and contribute expression and thought.
When examining restitution from the viewpoint of Sen’s prescription of wellbeing, then simply sending a person who has been exploited back to their original state would be tantamount to placing them back in an ‘imprisonment’ of a different kind. In as much as many who have become trapped in exploitative conditions have, in the first instance, taken significant risks to seek a perceived better life away from their own country.
Coomaraswamy commented that, ‘traffickers swim in the stream of migration.’ While exploitation and trafficking are very much issues of human rights abuse, such crimes involve the movement of people, both across and within borders—in many cases labour exploitation and people trafficking begin after the movement of a person from one place to another.
How then do we begin to address the complexity of issues that cause people to uproot from their home? For me it has become a question of connecting up the dots— dots which may significantly contribute to the growth in the exploitation of people, such as absolute financial deprivation, gender discrimination, an uneven trading field, climate change, globalisation and rampant consumerism.
First and foremost though, our agenda going forward needs to stem from, and include, those who can speak of their experiences and who will provide us with valuable insight: for rather than simply viewing a person found in a situation of extreme abuse as a victim to be rescued, we are well overdue to change the viewing lens to see the men, women and children as human beings simply wanting a life of freedom, wellbeing and dignity that so many of us take for granted. We need to hear their voices and give respect to their agency.
A survivor of trafficking on an online global meeting a couple of years ago, put it very powerfully when she said,
“it’s the wearer of the shoe who knows where it hurts”.
Rev. Chris Frazer Deacon for Social Justice
August 2025
