A petition from Stop the Traffik calling for an end to the practice of human trafficking, signed by thousands of people in Edinburgh, has been backed by the Right Rev Dr Angus Morrison, Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland.
The petition calls on retailers not to sell clothes made by people who have been forced into slave labour. As well as stopping the practice, other aims include introducing a living wage and guaranteed freedom of movement.
Dr Morrison has described modern-day slavery as a ‘great evil’ and is also supporting the United Nations Gift Box initiative to raise awareness. Two large, brightly coloured walk-in boxes created to symbolise trafficking have been placed in central Edinburgh outside St Andrew’s and St George’s West Church on George Street and the Pleasance.
The aim is to illustrate that the promise of a new and exciting life may not be what it first appears – inside the boxes walls are dark and covered with information, first-hand accounts and pictures from victims.
The Rev Carol Ford of St Margaret’s Church in Edinburgh, a member of the Scottish Churches Anti-Human Trafficking Group, commented that many people were currently unaware that people trafficking happened in cities across Scotland.
For more information see the Church of Scotland website.
