Slavery today

Last year we celebrated the 200 anniversary of the ending of the trans-Atlantic slave trade. We remembered the work of Christians like William Wilberforce. But the sad truth is that slavery is still very much with us. It affects the weakest and poorest in our world. People are shipped across the world with the promise of a better life only to find themselves in forced labour, the sex trade or foreign armies. Many of them are children. As I was preparing this I heard a BBC news item about a report on prostitution in London. It mentioned the exploitation of women and often young girls, many lured from their own countries.

At the time of abolition the slavers argued that the Bible supported slavery – some people still think it does. But our readings in Philemon and Leviticus 25 tell a different story. They show a God who is passionately concerned for justice for all including slaves, who are to be well treated, properly rewarded and seen as brothers and sisters. In time these ideas led to the end of slavery. Apply them today and we would not have the situations that we have.

To find out more about slavery today and discover how you can get involved in the fight against it go to www.stopthetraffik.org.

John Grayston