World Day against Trafficking in Persons
As the Olympics in Tokyo are unfolding millions of people across the world are watching and cheering, commiserating, and embracing the glittering spectacle of sights and sounds, gasping in wonder at extreme human effort, as for a short time athletes come together to compete for their respective countries. Just for a moment time is forgotten as peoples of all cultures and countries draw a collective breath willing on ‘their’ person/s in the race for gold.
The Olympic charter embraces ‘a philosophy of life, exalting and combining in a balanced whole the qualities of the body, will and mind… Olympism seeks to create a way of life based on the joy of effort, the educational value of good example, social responsibility and respect for universal ethical principles’. Such a charter, embracing all countries, cultures, and peoples, could easily be applied to our universal community in its day to day living.
A similar philosophy underpins the UN Declaration of Human Rights, “whereby it is stated, the peoples of the United Nations have in the Charter reaffirmed their faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person and in the equal rights of men and women and have determined to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom…’
The freedom prescribed in the Human Rights declaration, for all people everywhere to have the prospect to experience the joy of effort, to live a life of dignity and worth, where equal rights are afforded to all, will only be realised through an equality of opportunity and the collective understanding that all people are of infinite value.
Any form of abuse, and deliberate disadvantage through unfair trading systems which creates wealth for the few and extreme deprivation for the many, violates identity and dignity. The African concept of Ubuntu holds that ‘I am who I am through my relationships and interdependence with other people.’ If such relationships are destroyed by violence and degradation so is a person’s concept of identity and self, rendering a person as invisible.
People trafficking and labour exploitation thrives within a cloak of invisibility and will remain that way until we collectively bring it out into the open and we can do this by challenging assumptions, decrying the presently uneven global trading field that sees so many workers in poorer nations struggling to survive and by saying NO to goods filled with child abuse, extreme poverty, and loss of freedom.
Wondering where to start? The first step is becoming well informed, to get to grips with the complex reality that is modern slavery and exploitation in 2021. July 30th marks the UNODC World Day Against Trafficking in Persons. The Modern Slavery and Labour Exploitation Advisory group which is chaired by our Diocese is releasing a newsletter. The newsletter, which has been designed by MBIE and funded by MBIE and the US Embassy is a fine example of what can be achieved when we actively collaborate together.
Now we need our Diocesan whānau to come on board, to read and reflect on the information provided and then to share it widely.
By Rev. Chris Frazer
On behalf of the Anglican Diocese of wellington, Rev. Chris Frazer, Deacon for Social Justice and chair of the Modern Slavery and Labour Exploitation Advisory group, has been appointed to the Reference Group for the Government’s new Plan of Action against Forced Labour, People Trafficking and Slavery. The Reference Group is made up of senior officials from government agencies and non-government representatives on behalf of human rights, children, unions, business, faith institutions, academia, Māori and sex workers, who have an active interest in ending forced labour, people trafficking and slavery. The Group’s work includes:
providing strategic advice to those agencies developing and implementing the new Plan of Action
advising on potential risks to successful delivery, and their mitigations
making connections across people, agencies, and organisations to and support delivery and raise the profile of the new Plan of Action and activities to address people trafficking and forced labour.
