Nov 23 is Abolitionist Sunday when the church takes a stand against human trafficking and slavery in the footsteps of William Wilberforce. Jarrod McKenna from World Vision joined us in the morning service. Jarrod has recently been working with Jess Smith on a new online christian justice initiative called Common Grace (due to launch end Nov).
NOT for sale campaign
Human trafficking and modern-day slavery exist within Australia. It is both a source and destination country for men, women, and children trafficked to work in agriculture, construction, as domestic servants or forced prostitution. Many Australian teenage girls are subjected to commercial sexual exploitation forced into prostitution by pimps.
Foreign victims from several South East Asian locations are recruited temporarily to work in Australia only to be subjected to forced labor, have their travel documents confiscated and face physical threats, debt bondage, and captivity. Similarly, women are trafficked into Australia for forced prostitution.
In the Australian context, many cases of human trafficking are often not identified and therefore not reported, so the true extent of the problem is not fully known. An increase in public awareness, an acknowledgment of the problem by government agencies, campaigns by well known NGO’s, universities and advocacy groups is helping to more clearly identify the problem in Australia. Find out more: www.notforsalecampaign.org/australia
Asian Women at Work
Asian Women at Work is working to empower Asian women workers, who experience significant injustice and exploitation in our Australian society. These women have the ability to stand up for their rights and contribute more significantly to Australian society as they gain access to information, resources, relationships and confidence in themselves.
Asian Women at Work has a current membership of over 1300 migrant women workers, including restaurant workers, factory workers, cleaners and outworkers. Their activities include English classes, support groups, hobby groups, social activities, seminars and community legal education. Find out more: www.awatw.org.au