Pope Francis has joined 11 other religious leaders in signing a declaration to eradicate slavery and human trafficking by 2020.
On the occasion of the International Day for the Abolition of Slavery, the Holy Father met with leaders and representatives from Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism at the Pontifical Academy of Sciences in Rome. During the meeting, the leaders and representatives signed a joint declaration of solidarity against modern forms of slavery. The declaration called on “all global faiths and people of goodwill” to work together to free slaves and trafficked persons and dissolve the slave trade throughout the world.
In his address, Pope Francis encouraged the signatories to reach out for support from all sections of their respective communities. He said, “Let us call to action all persons of faith and their leaders, governments, businesses, all men and women of good will, to lend their unwavering support and to join the movement against modern slavery, in all its forms.”
An inspiration for the historic declaration was Australian woman Grace Forrest, daughter of mining magnate Andrew Forrest, who were both in attendance at the signing. Ms Forrest was inspired to help end slavery after volunteering in a Nepalese refuge for children rescued from sex slavery. Her cause resulted in the establishment of the Global Freedom Network, lead by Pope Francis, Anglican Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, and Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Mohamed Ahmed el-Tayeb. In speaking to Fairfax Media after the signing, Ms Forrest said, “There’s immense pride… I feel like a puppet for hundreds of thousands of girls who are voiceless – if I can stand for them, that is what I’m here to do.”
The Global Slavery Index for 2014 reports that an estimated 35.8 million people are slaves internationally. Modern slavery mostly consists of prostitution and sexual exploitation, forced labour, servitude, and organ harvesting.
