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Good morning! Today is the International Day for the Abolition of Slavery. You might think, given that slavery in the UK and her empire were abolished in 1833, that this is an awareness-raising day whose ship has sailed. Not true. The International Labour Organisation estimates that more than 40 million people worldwide are victims of modern slavery which includes forced labour, debt bondage, forced marriage, human trafficking. Also, more than 150 million children are victims of child labour. Women and girls are disproportionately affected.

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In the UK, slavery is closer than we think. Antislavery.org says that the number of victims in the UK is rising, with more than 10,000 people referred to the authorities in 2019. Forced labour, fuelled by a drive for cheap products and services is the most common form of modern slavery in the UK. ÌýSometimes the reality of this is as close as our nail bars or hand carwashes or the people who pick our brussels sprouts.

In this season of Advent dreaming, we anticipate the coming of Jesus, whose ministry began with what is sometimes called the Nazareth Manifesto, promising freedom from oppression. May we not sleepwalk past signs of exploitation in our daily living, and may our ‘new normal’ resist trapping the economically vulnerable and reducing them to commodities.Ìý

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Liberator Lord,

Whose promise is freedom to captives,

Free us from complacency

And empower us

To resist evil and seek the good of all

In the name of Love. Amen.