The Clewer Initiative is the national work of the Church of England to combat modern slavery. Beginning initially in 2016 as a three year project, we have now obtained funding to continue until 2030 from the Clewer sisters. More formally known as the Order of St John the Baptist, the Clewer sisters are an order of Anglican nuns who donate generously to causes related to the eradication of human trafficking.
The Clewer Initiative
We believe that the tools to end modern slavery already exist within the local community and that the Church, which is present in all communities and at the heart of many, has a primary responsibility in leading these efforts.
200 years after the abolition of the slave trade and yet there are 122,000 men, women and children trapped in modern slavery in the UK.
We exist to raise awareness and mobilise the Church and communities to take action against modern slavery, to promote victim identification and to provide victim care and support.
Our key premise is to reduce the prevalence of modern slavery in our communities. Based on our belief that the tools to tackle modern slavery lie within communities, we work with local churches to build resilience and support vulnerable groups. We also work at a national and international level through a range of partnerships and collaborations raising awareness and developing practical tools and resources for use by churches, communities, partners and the public.
We are working at varying levels with most of the Church of England’s 42 dioceses, either on community-based projects, by sharing learning and knowledge through our network, or both. We support and learn from one another and work towards a common outcome: a world without slavery.
Partnership is one of our core principles and we collaborate not only within the Church of England, but also with law enforcement, local government, charities, and wider faith networks.
Locally we are working in communities with our Hidden Voices methodology. We help our groups to look at the risks and resources in their community and ask how they can address those risks. We explore together how they can help to prevent modern slavery and identify and support the victims.
Nationally our projects include the Safe Car Wash app, an innovative solution helping to address the issue of modern slavery. We have also created a range of successful online courses and training resources to help teach appropriate groups about specific areas of modern slavery and community resilience.
Campaign
Safe Car Wash
Help end modern slavery in hand car washes. Following the simple steps in the app when you take your car to a hand car wash will help us identify where exploitation may be happening.