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October28th2018WordsbytheGermanLutheranpastorMartin Niemöller(1892–1984)followingtheNazis'risetopowerFirsttheycameforthesocialists,andIdidnotspeakout—BecauseIwasnotasocialist.Thentheycameforthetradeunionists,andIdidnotspeakout—BecauseIwasnotatradeunionist.ThentheycamefortheJews,andIdidnotspeakout—BecauseIwasnotaJew.

Thentheycameforme—andtherewasnoonelefttospeakforme.

.AsChristians,alongwithmanyothers,wearecalledupontodothespeakingout… we know of brave people who rescued or hid people during thepersecution of Jews and other groups in the 2ndWW. Living now in relativepeace,wemaythinkwedon’tneedtosayordoanythingaboutanyissuesthatdon’tseemtoaffectus,butweareurgedtoseekfor justice inthisworld: toloveourneighbourasourselves.Wearetheoneslefttospeakout.Jesussays,‘Iamgivingyouthesecommandssothatyoumayloveoneanother.’So if you aren’t interested in seeking justice or in loving one another inpractice, if you don’t really like to be challengedwith the unpleasantness ofslavery today, then,as they say on the newswhen announcing the footballscores–Isuggestyoulookawayorblockyourearsnow!I am going to briefly mentionwhatmodern slavery is, give an example andofferatleastonewaywemightrespondasChristians.

FirstlywhatismodernSlavery?Someofthewayspeopleareenslavedtodayincludeprostitution,pornography,manufacturing, domestic servitude, forced begging, and organ removal.Modern slavery happens in all parts of the world, including the UK, eventhoughsomepeopledon’tthinkitishereoranissue.In2016,3805men,womenandchildrenwererescuedfrommodernslaveryintheUKbutthereareestimatedtodaytobe11,700victimsofmodernslavery.Manypeoplewhoendupbeingenslavedarelookingforlegitimatework.

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All Christians are calledbyGod todiscern and to respond to injustice in thisworld. We may not be involved overtly in modern slavery, but we maycontributetoaculturewhichseeshumanbeingsasgoods.IwasdelightedthatCheshireWestandChester lookedcloselyat theirpoliciesasa resultof localchurch awareness raising of modern slavery: and this last week they haveagreedaCharteragainstModernSlaverywhichincludesacloseexaminationofanycontractortoensurethatthereisnounfairtreatmentofemployees.Theynowgo further than legislation in trying toensure that supply chainsdonotinvolvemodernslavery.

Jesus’ministryisaboutthereleaseofcaptives– it isaboutfreedomfromanyform of slavery. We follow his example by improving our awareness andseekingtohelpthosewhoareinslavery.Often women come into the hands of perpetrators by being promisedemploymentoropportunitiesinanothercountrywhichwillbenefitthemselvesor their families. They find themselves being exploited for sex in a countrywheretheydon’tspeakthelanguageorhaveanyideawhethertheycantrustanyonetohelp,includingthepolice.

‘…therewasnoonele,tospeakforme.’Wearetheones lefttospeakout.Jesussaid,‘Loveoneanother.’

Manypeople thinkabout traffickingasbeingabout living individuals,but theWorld Health Organisation has also highlighted the illegal trade in humanorgans.HereisonetruestoryInabackroom,thehusbandofadyingwomanmetthreemen.Alotofmoneychanged hands. The husband did not ask too many questions but he wasworried about the personwhowould do the surgery and about whowouldlookafterhiswife.Andhewasalsoworriedabouttheauthorities.Heknewitwas illegal but he was desperate. He wondered if they would just take themoney and never deliver the kidney. Four and a half thousandmiles away ayoungmanwas returning tohis villagewithhis goatswhenabattered truckcamedownthedirttrackbehindhim.Afewsecondslater-therewasnosignofthemanontheroad, just thegoatsnosing inthedust. Itwasas ifhehadnever been. The sale did not complete. The traffickers made mistakes withtransportandtheorganswereruined.

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‘….andtherewasnoone le-tospeak forme’.Weare theones le)tospeakout.Jesussaid,‘Loveoneanother.’

Anyexampleofslaveryappalsusbuthowmightwe,asChristiansrespond?Are we really willing to stand up for these people? We also have toacknowledgethatwemightbecomplicitintheconditionsthatleadtomodernslavery, -awishtopurchasecheapgoods,adesire tocloseoureyesandnotbecomeinvolvedwithanyoneelse.

Modernslaverycanbeahiddencrime.AneetaPrem,founderoftheFreedomCharitysaid:‘Ifwethinkaboutourlives,wherewe'resobusyrushingaround-doweknowourneighbours?Doweknowwhat'shappeningnextdoor?Slavesareinanordinarystreetinordinaryplaces;there'snothingextraordinaryaboutwheresomepeopleareheld,andnobodyseemsevertoknowanythingaboutit.’Inoneofhisspeeches,MartinLutherKingputhisfingeronwhypeoplearereluctanttobecomeinvolved.‘Ourfearisforourselvesandourfamilies.’The Clewer initiative which is set up by the Church of England to raiseawarenessofmodernslaveryhasacampaigncalled,‘Weseeyou.’Itoffersusonewaythatwecanrespond.Ifweareunsureaboutanylocalactivitythatwewitness,ifweseeanythingweareunsureof,thenallwedoissimplyuseaphonetocall101toreportwhatwesee.Thereisnocomebackuponthecaller–it’sanonymous.That’sallwehavetodo–call101. Ihaveputthenumberontheweeklysheetforyoutotakeaway.Ifyouseeavanloadingalotofpeopleintoit,ifyouseepeopleinanail bar or a car wash (common places of work) where people seemundernourished, appear nervous, uncommunicative or don’t tell you wherethey live, then all you have to do is call 101. If youare fortunate enough tohavean i-phone,youcandownloadanappwithquestionstoaskaboutacarwashbeforereportinganything.The question we need to ask ourselves is not ‘What will happen to me if Ireportthis?’but‘WhatwillhappentothispersonifIdonothing?’

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WilliamWilberforcesaidallthoseyearsago:‘Youmaychoosetolooktheotherwaybutyoucanneversayagainthatyoudidnotknow.’Wepraythatwemaypursuejustice,wemayneverbeafraidtofacethetruth–thatwemayalwaysboldlyspeakoutforothers–toshowthatwetakeseriouslythosewordsofJesus:‘Loveoneanother.’CanonJaneBrooke