World's
faith leaders sign up to stamp out modern slavery
(Vatican Radio) An unprecedented gathering of religious leaders
from all corners of the globe took place in the Vatican on Tuesday for the signing
of a joint declaration against modern slavery. Pope Francis joined Anglican,
Orthodox, Jewish, Shia and Sunni Muslim, Hindu and Buddhist representatives in
the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, together with two young trafficking victims
from Mexico and Ghana. Philippa Hitchen reports.....
No-one knows the exact
number of men and women, boys and girls who are trafficked into prostitution,
forced labour or the trade in human body parts. Some estimates put the figure
as high as 35 million, but as one participant pointed out, it’s not the numbers
that matter as much as the fact that every single one of those people could be
your brother or sister, my son or daughter.
When the Archbishop of
Canterbury Justin Welby first met Pope Francis in 2013, they identified the
scourge of human trafficking as one of the most urgent priorities for both of
their Churches today. Less than a year later, the ecumenical Global Freedom
Network was set up to try and harness the commitment of believers around the
world for practical action to eradicate this modern slavery by the year 2020.
This gathering of
religious leaders in the Vatican today represents around 90 percent of the
world’s population and the declaration they signed commits their communities to
working together for the freedom of all people and an end to this lucrative
trade in human life. In his words to the group, Pope Francis called it an
absurd evil and a crime against humanity….
This crime, the Pope
said, is often hidden behind closed doors, on the streets, in the factories,
fields or fishing boats where people are forced to work in dirty, dangerous and
degrading conditions…..
It is the poor and
most vulnerable, he said, who are usually the victims of this crime and it’s a
problem which is growing day by day. That’s why these leaders of all different
faith communities came to the Vatican on the International Day for the
Abolition of Slavery, to commit their spiritual and practical support to this
cause. As the declaration says, we already have the awareness, wisdom and
technology to stamp out this crime. This extraordinary gathering of so many
faith leaders here today marks a significant step towards achieving that goal.
Please see below the Joint
Declaration of Religious Leaders against Modern Slavery
“We, the
undersigned, are gathered here today for a historic initiative to inspire
spiritual and practical action by all global faiths and people of good will
everywhere to eradicate modern slavery across the world by 2020 and for all
time.
In the eyes of God*,
each human being is a free person, whether girl, boy, woman or man, and is
destined to exist for the good of all in equality and fraternity. Modern
slavery, in terms of human trafficking, forced labour and prostitution, organ
trafficking, and any relationship that fails to respect the fundamental
conviction that all people are equal and have the same freedom and dignity, is
a crime against humanity.
We pledge ourselves
here today to do all in our power, within our faith communities and beyond, to
work together for the freedom of all those who are enslaved and trafficked so
that their future may be restored. Today we have the opportunity, awareness,
wisdom, innovation and technology to achieve this human and moral imperative.”
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