A newly released toolkit aims to help Catholic parishioners in Brisbane stamp out exploitation practices.

It also aims to raise parishioners' awareness of the significant presence of slavery in Australia today.

Brisbane archdiocese's Legal, Governance and Risk team developed the modern slavery toolkit in conjunction with the Australian Catholic Anti-Slavery Network.

The horrible truth

There are an estimated 41,000 people experiencing modern slavery in Australia.

Worldwide, there are about 50 million enslaved to others.

About 54 per cent are women and children. They are often trapped in forced labour arrangements or forced marriages.

The modern slavery toolkit

The Evangelisation Brisbane Inclusion team says the modern slavery toolkit was released during Laudato Si' Week.

Timing it in this way was a "concrete step in empowering our agencies to act ethically in our world".

The toolkit includes strategies and procedures to help the agencies function, while caring for people vulnerable to exploitation and slavery.

"It is now important that all in the Archdiocese use these strategies and continue our dedication to eliminating modern slavery in all its forms" the team says.

The toolkit includes a guide about how certain consumer-lifestyles and goods are more likely to rely on modern slavery practices than others.

A calculator which can be used to work out "how many slaves work for you" is included in the toolkit guide.

A lifestyle example the toolkit presents is that of the "modern mum". The calculator estimates 66 slaves work for her.

It calculates 3.5 slaves to produce a pram, milk bottles use 1.1 slaves and nappy bags 1.4 slaves apiece.

The number of slaves used to produce goods quickly adds up if ethically-sourced goods are not sought.

Australia's slaves

In Australia, certain industries are most likely to be staffed by slaves.

Those at greatest risk of modern slavery are likely to work in agriculture, meat processing, cleaning, security, hospitality and construction sectors.

They are also likely to be duped by industries that use labour hire and multi-tiered subcontracting.

These industries rely on vulnerable people.

Their workforces include temporary migrants, asylum seekers, refugees, working holiday makers, international students and sponsored workers from the Pacific.

Learn, help, share concerns

Brisbane's Catholic parishioners are being encouraged to learn more about modern slavery and its risk factors.

They are also being encouraged to celebrate the feast day of St Josephine Bakhita, the patron saint of victims of modern slavery and human trafficking.

Parishioners can contact the Sydney archdiocese agency Domus 8.7 if they are concerned about someone in their community at risk of or experiencing modern slavery.

Source

• Catholic Leader

ACAN's Compendium of Modern Slavery Statements highlights the work of over 40 Catholic entities including dioceses, health, education and welfare bodies.

Signatory organisations, such as the Sydney Archdiocese's Catholic schools, identify areas of risk and the measures they will take to eradicate supplies tainted by slavery.

The International Labor Organization estimates that more than 40 million people globally live in modern-day slavery. Children are thought to make up about a quarter of those being victimised.

Australia is far from immune, with the United Nations estimating there are approximately 15,000 victims in Australia.

The ACAN document commits Australia's largest Catholic entities to eradicate links to slavery in their operations. This is significant as the Catholic Church is Australia's second-largest employer, ranking only behind the government.

The compendium is a work in progress, said attorney John McCarthy, chair of the Archdiocese of Sydney's Anti-Slavery Taskforce and a driving force in its compilation.

While addressing areas of potential cooperation with slavery by the archdiocese, the task force also proposed a national network of Catholic agencies and institutions, which became ACAN.

ACAN participants concur that eradicating slavery in all its forms is an expression of fundamental Catholic social teaching.

A key achievement of the compendium, McCarthy said, has been the extensive identification of areas of risk for organisations to consider.

"We don't rely on anecdotal evidence anymore," he said. "We now know where our major risks are and what to do about them."

The Australian effort is gaining international attention.

"As Catholic people and organisations around the world are hearing about what we've managed to achieve in Australia, they're starting to see the possibilities for the introduction of anti-slavery measures in Church entities in their own countries," McCarthy said.

"That makes all the work our members have put in so far worthwhile. We're showing that the Catholic Church is committed with Pope Francis to eradicating modern slavery in our generation."

Sources

Catholic News

Catholic Weekly

ACAN

The app is part of a broader Building Links project initiated by the Australian Catholic Anti-slavery Network (ACAN).

The project aims to increase the capacity of construction industry participants to recognise and respond to modern slavery. It's since secured a grant from the federal government. It includes online training and toolkits targeted at the Australian domestic construction industry, mainly migrant workers.

The project sprung from the ACAN's work to address modern slavery concerns in the supply chains of Catholic entities in Australia, which is the largest employer in Australia outside the public sector and includes schools, hospitals and aged care facilities.

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