Bishop Simon gets behind our Do One Thing campaign

He says: "Hiding in plain sight is a very 21st century phrase but it doesn't just apply to perpetrators. Victims also hide in plain sight and no more so than modern slaves.

"We brush past them in the street, they work in car washes or nail bars, they pick fruit and they dig for cockles, they wait by the sides of roads struggling against the winter cold. It's a complex world right now and some people say, 'What difference can I make?' Well, to adapt a film name, lots actually."

"The Clewer Initiative has launched its 'Do One thing' campaign. This could entail:

• learning as much as we can about modern slavery and its signs
• downloading the safe car wash app
• committing to pray weekly about it
• signing up to The Clewer Initiative to receive information
• distributing posters across the community.

"One thing people in the Diocese of Rochester could especially do is attend an upcoming event that we are hosting.

"On Monday 6 November at 5pm, two of the UK's most distinguished anti-slavery charities, The Clewer Initiative and Anti-Slavery International will be speaking at our Zoom webinar. You can find out so much more about what's going on and the things you can do to change someone's world."

"To paraphrase Neil Armstrong, it may be one small step for a person but a giant leap when we do it together in faith in Christ."

Bishop Simon Burton-Jones

Bishop of Tonbridge, October 2023