Time to end Modern-day Slavery

PACIFIC churches will begin to play a greater role in the care of victims of modern-day slavery.

Pacific Conference of Churches’ General Secretary, James Bhagwan, said dignity and justice around conditions of employment for islanders working in Australia must be upheld.

He called on Pacific and Australian churches and regional governments to ensure the safety and security of islanders working offshore.

The PCC has engaged with a number of United Nations agencies to put an end to modern-day slavery, particularly on farms where workers are sometimes lured with promises of high pay and reasonable conditions.

Here is Reverend Bhagwan’s address in Australia:

Acknowledge and pay respects to the Vanua O Eora, the land and traditional custodians the Gadigal people, to their Matua of yesterday, today and tomorrow.

Appreciation to the National Council of Churches in Australia, the Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney…Walk Free

2. Introduction to Modern Slavery – A Pacific Context

I would like introduce myself to you today as a product of modern slavery. My father’s people and my mother’s, mother’s, people were from the United Provinces of Uttar Pradesh in the north east of India brought to Fiji to work in Sugarcane plantations under the British alternative to slavery, the indenture system.

During the 82 year period of the Indenture System, approximately 1 million Indian labourers were shipped to the British colonies of Mauritius, British Guiana, Trinidad, Jamaica, St. Kitts, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Grenada, Natal, Surinam and Fiji. Indenture was a degrading, dehumanising experience that scarred those who endured its hardships. In particular, women, sent at a ratio of 40 women to every 100 men, were particularly vulnerable to abuse of all kinds.

The word used by labourers to describe this system of unjust labour, unfair treatment, terrible living conditions, constant abuse and lack of dignity was, “Narak” – Hell.

In Fiji, the Indenture system began when another form of early modern slavery in that colony was ending, the South Sea Labour Trade.

While 19th century human trafficking in the Pacific was the legacy of the transatlantic slavery system and a precursor to indentured labour system, the orgins of “Blackbirding” lie in the hands of Benjamin Robert Boyd who, in 1847, “employed” approximately 65 New Hebrideans as shepherds on his sheep station in New South Wales. Following an investigations into their early deaths, Boyd was charged with their forced abduction.

The Queensland Pacific labour trade was established by Robert Towns, a Sydney-based merchant and member of the New South Wales Legislative Council, who in 1963 brought 67 kanaks to work on his 4000 acre cotton plantation “Townsvale” on the Logan River which formed a border betweenNew South Wales and Queensland. The plan was simple: “supply cheap plantation labour in tropical Queensland where white men, it was firmly believed, could not work.” This plan was soon adopted by those who operated sugarcane plantations.

From its beginning in 1863 to its conclusion in 1902, some 130 vessels engaged in recruiting South Sea Island labour. By the cessation of arrivals in 1904, more than 62,000 Islanders were transplanted to Queensland, with approximately 27,000 shipped to Fiji between 1867 and 1879.

IT is easy to understand why those of use for whom this is not just history but family history, communal history and legacy view migrant labour schemes, seasonal workers and Pacific Labour Scheme with trepidation. Even in the 21 st Century, history has ways of repeating itself.

Just as my great-grandparents experienced – At the core of this crime is deception. Survivors of modern slavery tell stories of being sold a better life. They are often vulnerable, coming from areas where there is little possibility of work. They are offered a job, a chance to make money and to build a new life for themselves.

The job they are offered turns out to be a lie and instead they are forced to work in difficult and degrading conditions, with little or no pay. The threat of violence, to themselves or their families, hangs over them and traps them in their situation. Even if their trafficker does not physically control them, a mistrust of authority, shame and embarrassment may stop them seeking help.

This is the reality for 15,000 men, women and children in Australia and 3000 in New Zealand.

For the Pacific Island States the high risk industries are fisheries, construction, agriculture, hospitality and domestic services.

As the Global Freedom Network points out: Today many citizens of Pacific Island states look to improve their circumstances by seeking work in larger regional economies, accessing work opportunities in industries like agriculture, fisheries, tourism and hospitality.

They remain however vulnerable to subcontractors and agents, who sometimes take advantage and exploit their isolation and lack of knowledge. The conditions for migrant and seasonal workers are a growing pastoral concern for Pacific Island diaspora communities who hear reports of harsh employment conditions, and allegations of mistreatment.

Some of these conditions would fall under the category of modern slavery and forced labour.

3. Pacific Churches – Commitment to addressing Modern Slavery of Pacific Islanders within Australia, NZ and the Pacific

On the 1 st of November, 2019, at its General Assembly in Auckland, New Zealand, leaders and representatives of 30 mainline churches and 9 national councils of churches across the Pacific, including Australia and New Zealand, listened to the stories of Pacific islanders in modern slavery.

Their response was to resolve to sign the Global Freedom Network – Joint Declaration of Faith Leaders Against Modern Slavery which states that: “We, the undersigned, are gathered here today for a historic initiative to inspire spiritual and practical action by all global faiths and people of good will everywhere to eradicate modern slavery across the world for all time.

In the eyes of God, each human being is a free person, whether girl, boy, woman or man, and is destined to exist for the good of all in equality and fraternity. Modern slavery, in terms of human trafficking, forced labour and prostitution, organ trafficking, and any relationship that fails to respect the fundamental conviction that all people are equal and have the same freedom and dignity, is a crime against humanity.

We pledge ourselves here today to do all in our power, within our faith communities and beyond, to work together for the freedom of all those who are enslaved and trafficked so that their future may be restored.

Today we have the opportunity, awareness, wisdom, innovation and technology to achieve this human and moral imperative.”

4. A Call to Action – Prophetic, Pastoral and Practical

This declaration and resolutions on Modern Slavery at the PCC General Assembly mandates the PCC Secretariat to engage in addressing modern slavery of Pacific Islanders and other migrant workers in the Pacific.

We will be working with our National Councils of Churches in the Pacific… and hopefully NCC Australia…and member churches to address the treatment of migrant workers from the Pacific and elsewhere in our Pacific Island countries.

At the same time, we will be engaging with our members and partners in Australia and New Zealand to ensure structures and systems for Pacific Islander migrant workers ensure all their rights and wellbeing are protected and cared for.

We are developing partnerships with the International Labour organisation and International Organisation for Migration offices in the Pacific and have a close working relationship with the UN Office for the Comissioner of Human Rights in the Pacific which covers Australia and New Zealand.

Prophetic voice of the church on this issue

As faith communities, especially Christian communities and organisations – we are reminded about our need to ensure care for not only 99% but to particularly care for the 1% – the parable of the shepherd leaving the 99 sheep to look for the 1 lost sheep is a poignant reminder that in a world where percentages are used to prove the effectiveness of any programme, the minority is very important. In the case of migrant labour, we are called to ensure that all, including the 1% are treated with respect and care and able to work and live with dignity.

One of the key issues I would like to reflect on this morning is the issue of “absconders”. I have read of situations where both sending and receiving governments have penalised workers who abscond, and in the case of sending governments, penalised the communities of these workers, without investigating the reasons and possibility of neglect, mistreatment and other breaches of working conditions by the employer. The culture of silence in the Pacific, the shame and psychological impact of being punished for escaping negative conditions drives people underground and causes problems for all. I understand that in New Zealand, there is a provision in the migrant or seasonal worker scheme for one change of employment in such a situation. A similar provision in Australia would go a long way to address this issue.

Pastoral care and support

In terms of pastoral support by Australian churches, including Pacific Island diaspora communities of faith, while we all recognise that culturally appropriate spiritual and pastoral support and care for migrant workers is important, there are situations where Pacific Island workers are located far from their communities. How local churches are equipped to provide pastoral support for migrant workers is key to the kind of support given. I humbly ask the National Council of Churches to please work with their churches in areas where migrant workers are based to establish care ministries that care for their spiritual and physical welfare. I urge those Pacific and other diaspora faith communities or churches to ensure that regular pastoral visits are made to migrant workers so they have opportunities for pastoral care and support in their own cultural context and language.

To our government representatives here today, please do understand that pastoral care by faith communities is not limited to the opportunity to attend worship in a church and have a cuppa and a bikkie but is an important provision of care a step above psycho-social support and must include conversations about the conditions that the workers live and work under.

I feel that it is important I also mention here the proverbial elephant in the room, those who find themselves in Australia as a result of deception or who have used non-approved immigration methods to enter Australia to work and as a result endure terrible hardship and have no-one to turn to out of fear of deportation and imprisonment.

The Pacific Conference of Churches will be working with its member churches in sending countries to discuss how best to provide pastoral support to seasonal and migrant workers prior to departure and on their return as well as providing pastoral support for remaining families and communities.

We will also be looking at the care of migrant workers within our Pacific communities.

Practical actions to be discussed

I do not wish to take up much more time as we still have our reps from DFAT to address us. I encourage us that we use the table talk / talanoa to discuss practical options for working to care for our migrant workers. I will be sharing some suggestions at the end of our discussions.