What one thing could you do to help make your community Slavery Free?
Anti-Slavery Day (18th October) is an annual opportunity for churches, businesses, charities, and individuals to consider afresh what they can do to eliminate modern slavery in their communities.
However, when we hear the numbers of people trapped in slavery in the UK and beyond, it can be easy to feel overwhelmed and powerless.
That’s why we've launched our “Do One Thing” campaign to coincide with Anti Slavery Day this October!
Any action, no matter how small, could change or save the life of somebody in desperate circumstances. We therefore invite you to commit to delivering one anti-slavery action this year.
This could include signing up for modern slavery training, setting up a social action project, making a commitment to ethical purchasing or simply using the Safe Car Wash App. Whether you’ve been working on anti-slavery projects for years or are only just hearing about this heinous crime for the first time, we can all do something to help make our communities Slavery Free.
Here are some potential actions to commit to this year:
Safeguarding training – if you’re a Parish or Diocesan Safeguarding Officer, attending one of our safeguarding training sessions will give you the tools and knowledge to recognise and respond to issues relating to modern slavery. Find out more about our safeguarding training and sign-up to one of our courses.
Slavery-proof your social action projects – there are often many vulnerable people at church food banks, night shelters and even Mum & Baby drop-in centres. Some of the people using your social action projects may be victims of modern slavery and exploitation or could be targeted and recruited by traffickers whilst attending your project. Think about what safeguards you could implement to slavery-proof your social action project. We have a range of awareness-raising posters that you can order for free and display at your social action project.
Ensure that the hire of your church premises reflects good safeguarding practice – the Parish Safeguarding Handbook has an appendix that includes a Model Safeguarding Provision that can be attached to any Hire of Church Premises Agreement. This means that anyone hiring your church premises is required to ensure that children, young people and vulnerable adults are protected at all times.
Interrogate the supply chain – with the cost of living crisis squeezing our finances, it can be hard to commit to only purchasing Fairtrade products. However, companies want to satisfy their consumers so let them know how important a Slavery Free supply chain is to you - you can write to them or contact them on social media. If you’re hiring a contractor or cleaning staff, look out for tell-tell signs (such as only accepting cash) that their employer may be exploiting them. If you are concerned that someone in your church is a victim of labour exploitation, report it to your Parish Safeguarding Officer.
Use the Safe Car Wash App – did you know that the hand car wash sector has been repeatedly identified as a key sector for labour exploitation? Our Safe Car Wash App enables you to identify and report modern slavery at your hand car wash.
Aim for Net Zero Carbon – the climate emergency has seen many places become uninhabitable, forcing people to flee their homes and become refugees at risk of falling into the hands of traffickers. Reducing our carbon footprint as churches and individuals may help vulnerable communities thousands of miles away.
As part of the campaign, we have created Make It Slavery Free posters which are available to order from Christian Publishing & Outreach (see link below). Some of these posters can be customised to include your name and the actions you will take. You can then display the poster in your church, business or anywhere to remind you of the steps you have committed to taking.
We have also created a list of potential ideas to inspire you.
Finally, we have put together a resource for anyone organising an Anti-Slavery Day church service or looking for a daily devotional.
Download Make It Slavery Free pledge posters and flyers
Download some of our suggestions for how your church could Make It Slavery Free
The Clewer Initiative has worked closely with clergy from across the UK to pool together some resources for use at Anti-Slavery Day services
A unique devotional resource building on John's famous letters and interpreting them for our current context.
Download logos, social media assets, prayers and template copy for use on social media