Rotary Action Group Against Slavery

Posted by Peter Kavenagh on Nov 22, 2016
There are about 46 million slaves in the world, more than at any other time in human history. The slaves work for little or no recompense and have their lives controlled at every hour.

78% of them (36 million) are enslaved to situations involving labour and 22% (10 million) are indentured to the sex trade and sex trafficking.
 
26% of them (12 million) are children: They are enslaved to both labour and the sex trades.
 
The Rotary Action Group Against Slavery was represented by Rtn. Malcolm Baird (RC Brighton) at the RC of East Geelong’s meeting this week and he spoke carefully and thoughtfully to raise awareness of this world-wide evil.
 
One organisation that is fighting this evil is the Walk Free Foundation sponsored by Andrew ‘Twiggy’ Forest a mining magnate from West Australia. It publishes the Global Slavery Index each year that quantifies this problem and maintains awareness to the decision-makers of the country.  
The index reveals the largest number of slaves exists in India and that poor parents sell their children into slavery so that their children will be fed — albeit poorly.
 
It also reveals that there are about 4000 sex slaves in Australia bound by owners in legal and illegal brothels to work to repay exorbitant fares and visa fees calculated so that they are unable to walk free.
 
He suggested that Rotarians can:
  • Raise awareness and provide short-circuiting education programs in poor countries — one country at a time
  • Combine the education programs with community programs that are able to alleviate poverty.
  • Influence corporations, governments and consumers to be aware that the national and international supply chains of goods and services are often tainted by slavery providing labour and/or capital.
  • Place the Annual Global Slavery Index on the agenda of Rotary International.
All these would help us as consumers to recognise the signs of slavery and encourage us to purchase products from an ethical supply chain.
Google some of the following:

The RC of Bayside Geelong thanks the RC of Geelong East for its hospitality. We found the Karingal Community Hub in East Geelong a very pleasant venue and that your caterers are competent and helpful.