The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, said, “Human trafficking is a grave crime against humanity. It is a form of modern day slavery and a profound violation of the intrinsic dignity of human beings. This outrage should concern each one of us, because what affects one part of humanity affects us all.”
He called on churches to work together on Freedom Sunday and said, “If we are to combat this evil then we must work together to prevent the crime, support the survivors and prosecute the criminals. The knowledge that churches have of their local communities puts them on the frontline in this campaign. Freedom Sunday challenges us and resources us to take action to prevent the crime of human trafficking in our local and global communities.”
Resources have been produced by the Church of England, Stop the Traffik and other churches and agencies in the UK and elsewhere to guide the Freedom Sunday activities.
All resources are available on the Anglican Alliance website here.
The Anglican Alliance contributed to the development of these resources and we encourage churches in other parts of the Anglican Communion to adapt these materials to their own contexts and participate in Freedom Sunday. The Anglican Alliance is part of the Global Freedom Network which brings the faiths together to work for the end of modern slavery.
Freedom Sunday is a day of worship, prayer and action on human trafficking and modern slavery. On Sunday, 19 October 2014, churches all over the world will join together to raise awareness of the crime and show the world our commitment to end the suffering of women, men and children trapped in slavery.
The worship resources have been designed to enable local churches to take part in the day and learn more about how congregations can help to raise awareness and tackle this injustice, as well as show the world our compassion for the men, women and children who are trafficked and exploited.
Please send photos and reports on your activities to us at AnglicanAlliance@aco.org so we can share the news around the Communion.
Picture credit: Stop the Traffik
