Archive for category: April–May

by Lisa McIntosh

Slavery is not just a long-ago scourge confined to the ancient biblical account of the Israelites captive in Egypt, or the horrors of the trans-Atlantic slave trade between the 16th and 19th centuries.

Nor has it been restricted closer to home to the terrible practice of ‘blackbirding’, in which people from South Pacific islands were shipped off to work in indentured labour schemes on sugar plantations in Queensland or New South Wales, or flax mills near Auckland, from the mid-1800s until the first decade of the 20th century.

And the United Nations Association of Australia (UNAA) says that First Nations Australians have had an even ‘more enduring experience of slavery, originally in the pearling industry in Western Australia and the Torres Strait and then in the cattle industry’, as well as the pastoral industry, in which some Aboriginal workers ‘were bought and sold as chattels’.

Slavery is also a modern global evil. Specialist legal practice, research and policy centre Anti-slavery Australia estimates that 40.3 million people worldwide live in modern slavery which it says is ‘often hidden’ in everyday locations such as homes, restaurants, farms and building sites, as well as in places such as brothels.

Refugees, other displaced people and those living in poverty are among the most at risk of slavery, says Craig Heidenreich, who serves as Cross-Cultural Ministry Facilitator for the LCANZ and formerly worked with the Australian Refugee Association.

Craig does not doubt the ongoing devastating effects on the lives of people around the world of modern-day slavery, which includes such brutalities as human trafficking, early marriage, debt bondage, domestic servitude, sexual exploitation, forced criminality, child labour and sweatshop working conditions, ‘To say it couldn’t and wouldn’t happen today is fanciful’, he says, ‘Some families are so desperate they even sell their teenage daughters to survive, not always knowing the outcome for those girls.’

Nick Schwarz, the LCANZ’s Assistant to the Bishop for Public Theology, says that while ‘on the international scene slavery certainly hasn’t been abolished, in Australia various safeguards exist’ that should prevent such exploitative practices. These include the Modern Slavery Act (2018), last year’s ratification of the International Labour Organisation’s Protocol on Forced Labour and various child-protection laws.

However, he says, people are still exploited, with some migrant workers in Australia reportedly being so poorly paid that their income doesn’t cover basic living expenses, so they don’t have the choice to leave.

Other critical but often unclear factors in attempts to eradicate slavery are the supply chains behind the products we buy and use, which may be manufactured by slave labour.

‘Slavery is something that we empower with our choices’, Craig says. And Nick adds: ‘Consumers are wanting to buy from fair-trade labour supply chains.’ ‘But’, he says, ‘it’s not always easy to establish the provenance of a product.’

The responsibility for such information usually lies with the corporate sector, a fact highlighted by Australian anti-slavery advocate and mining magnate Andrew ‘Twiggy’ Forrest, whose Walk Free initiative is an international human rights group committed to the eradication of all modern slavery within a generation.

Walk Free successfully campaigned for Australia’s Modern Slavery Act and encouraged world religious leaders to sign a declaration against modern slavery, forming the Global Freedom Network as its faith-based arm. The LCA is one of 15 Australian religious organisations and communities which in 2015 became part of the Australian chapter by signing the Joint Declaration of Religious Leaders against Modern Slavery, which committed signatories to work actively against slavery.

One of the ways the Lutheran church does this is through its overseas aid and development agency, Australian Lutheran World Service (ALWS). Jonathan Krause from ALWS has seen first-hand the tragedy of bonded labour in countries such as Nepal and recounts the heartbreaking story of Bimali Devi Lohar, a woman who was a ‘Haliya’, or agricultural bonded labourer, for more than 20 years (see below).

‘A Haliya has taken a loan from a landlord and works for that landlord until the loan is repaid’, Jonathan explains. ‘Because of exorbitant interest rates, the debt can last for generations. In 2021 the Nepalese Government freed the Haliya, but for many, there are no support systems to help them rejoin free society.

‘(ALWS partner) the Lutheran World Federation team has been working with the Haliya, providing household loans, training in kitchen gardening, seeds to plant and taps for drinking water. There has also been training provided in furniture making, embroidery and candle-making, and support for semi-commercial farming.

‘And even as that system changes, those people have been in poverty for so long, that they’re still enslaved by what they’ve suffered and lost and so ALWS is working with them to train them in businesses, help them become independent and build a new life.’

As individuals, we may choose to support credible organisations which actively work for the eradication of modern slavery. We also may make this a consideration in the products and services we choose to buy if we have the financial means to do so.

The official Fairtrade website shows products that are fair trade and so less likely to involve exploitation (https://fairtradeanz.org/product-finder)

Walk Free offers a suite of resources, including reports, policy documents, submissions and more information on the Global Freedom Network at www.walkfree.org/resources

Bimali Devi Lohar’s story in her words 

My mother died when I was 11, and so my father then made me be married. My husband was 18. When I was 16, I had my first child.

My husband and I became Haliya when he borrowed 6000 Rupees (less than USD 100) to pay for the treatment of his brother who was sick. My husband goes to plough the land for the landlord and did farming work and ironsmith repairing tools to barter for food. I went as a labourer to another place.

We had to tie together the legs of the children and leave them in the house. I was weeping every day that I had to do this to my children. When I returned from work their clothes were filled with urine and stools. I cannot express in words how this made me feel as a mother. But there is nothing else I can do.

One day my husband was ploughing the landlord’s land, and he died in the field. On the day I finished the funeral ritual, the landlord came to me and said I must come to his house and work to pay the loan because my husband had died. I feel real pressure from the landlord, but there is no choice. I have to work.

I work to pay this loan for 22 years.

Later there was an Haliya group formed by the Lutherans. They support me to go in the legal process. The government office decided to dismiss the debt. Because of interest, the loan at that time was 20,000 Rupees (USD 300). Then I am free.

by Helene Schulz

Imagine spending five years or more without a home. It sounds incredibly tough, even unbearable. And yet this is the reality for millions of refugees across the globe.

Refugee numbers continue to increase – they have more than doubled in the past 10 years and the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) now estimates that more than 90 million people are living as refugees. More than 90 million people fleeing war and persecution and human rights violations; more than 90 million people looking for a place to call home. The top five countries of origin are Syria, Ukraine, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Myanmar.

How can we reach out and respond to help refugee families? In Australia, about 17,875 refugees will be accepted on humanitarian visas in this current financial year, including 1,400 people who can be welcomed through a new community support program. And that is one way in which we as everyday Australians can respond.

The Community Refugee Integration and Settlement Pilot (CRISP) program, introduced by the Australian government in 2022, is testing whether locally based community groups are interested in supporting our refugee intake by offering time and financial support to people in their first year of arrival. In Canada, a similar program has been successfully established for some years and has almost doubled the number of refugees that have been resettled each year within their local communities.

The LCANZ’s Cross-Cultural Ministry Facilitator, Craig Heidenreich, is passionate about CRISP and has been following the development and implementation of the program through the LCANZ’s involvement with the Australian Council of Churches Refugee Taskforce. This initiative is also supported by the church’s newly formed Refugee Action Group, which is part of the Commission on Social and Bioethical Questions.

Craig says that, as Christians, ‘we are to show love to the poor and the stranger’. ‘The CRISP program is an ideal way for church communities to become actively involved with helping a refugee family, starting from meeting them at the airport and guiding them through the issues and challenges of their first year in their local community’, he says. ‘It only requires a group of at least five people to come together to support a refugee family to settle in their local area.’ A not-for-profit organisation, Community Refugee Sponsorship Australia (CRSA), has been funded by the Australian government to provide information, training and support for local community groups.

The basic requirements for acceptance into CRISP include:

1. The group needs to include at least five adults who live near each other.
2. The group needs to nominate a leader to liaise with CRSA.
3. Members must participate in two half-day training sessions.
4. The group agrees to support a family selected by CRSA (you can nominate a preferred religious background).
5. The group needs to commit to about 10 hours per week for a year for tasks such as arranging interim accommodation, transport from the airport, registering with Centrelink and Medicare, setting up bank accounts, arranging school enrolments, English lessons, neighbourhood orientation, understanding our medical system, assistance to find permanent accommodation and employment and providing social connections.
6. The group will need to open a dedicated bank account and raise funds to cover some basic needs, such as temporary accommodation, secondhand furniture and whitegoods and initial food requirements. The family will be eligible for Centrelink and to work, so financial support is supplementary. A minimum fundraising goal of $5,000–20,000 is required.

At least two LCANZ congregations are already taking steps to become involved with CRISP.

Stacey Bradtke, a member of The Ark at Salisbury in South Australia, has been inspired to see the CRISP program become part of the congregation’s service to others. She says members have been focusing on being an active part of their vibrant multicultural community. The congregation desires to reflect this diverse community and grow into a truly multi-ethnic church.

‘Sponsoring a refugee family through CRISP fits into this story of wanting to serve and engage in the community’, Stacey says. ‘It provides a unique and truly beautiful opportunity to bring God’s love to life.’

The Ark is still in the early stages of putting together its support team. ‘There are a large number of refugees living in the area, so helping a family to settle here would provide more opportunities to connect with organisations and become increasingly connected with our wider community’, Stacey says. ‘We are excited that CRISP provides a simple, clear and relational avenue to give practical support to a family who desperately needs to be shown God’s love during a difficult transition to a new country and a new home.’

Monika Tropiano, from Western Australia’s Rockingham Mandurah congregation, says one person in their home group found out about CRISP and shared their interest with other members. The group then started to explore the possibilities.

An older church, Monika says they have realised their situation can be used to bless others. ‘As a group, we feel we are uniquely placed – mostly retired with a greater flexibility with our time’, Monika says. ‘We could see that we would have the ability to care for a newly arrived family for 12 months.’

They have been assessing how they can help a refugee family settle in – from determining a fundraising target outside their congregation’s budget, how to assist with initial accommodation, working out what household furniture and goods will be needed, to finding out who can help with skills such as teaching people to drive.

Becoming involved in welcoming a refugee family was also a good fit with four of the five key areas the congregation plans to focus on in 2023–2024: worship, service, small groups, community engagement and cross-cultural outreach.

They have formed a group, attended the sponsorship training and hoped to welcome their first refugee family this month or next. ‘We constantly remember that we are not doing this for ourselves, and we shouldn’t expect thanks or appreciation for what we do’, Monika says. ‘We are excited by this opportunity and are looking forward to how God will stretch us and use us to be his people in our local area.’

Helene Schulz is a member of the LCANZ Refugee Action Group.

If you would like to support these congregations or start your own CRISP support group, please contact Craig Heidenreich at craig.heidenreich@lca.org.au, or by phone on 08 8267 7379 or 0492 177 366. You can also make a tax-deductible donation to support Rockingham Mandurah’s CRISP involvement online at:
https://shoutforgood.com/explore/search?q=mandurah&selectedLocationLength=0