Today, Sunday November 20, is Abolitionist Sunday, and churches around Australia are celebrating and mobilising for action to end modern slavery.
Two hundred years ago, Christians were at the forefront of efforts to abolish slavery. Through the work of William Wilberforce and others, the evil tide was turned and slavery was eventually outlawed in the British Empire. But human trafficking and slavery continues today, with an estimated 27 million people enslaved around the world.
What can we do in the face of this huge problem? Well, many of the products we buy may have been produced using trafficked or exploited labour. If we became more socially responsible consumers, and challenged Australian political leaders and business leaders to ensure that supply chains did not benefit from exploited labour, we’d be doing good.
This is what Abolitionist Sunday is all about: helping the church to reclaim the Abolitionist spirit, and seeking freedom for the oppressed, and restoring justice to our broken world.
Broadcast on 2CH Sydney, 20 November 2011.
iDigress 