Stop The Traffik!
John Peace
The dinner was presented by Nu-Vision Ministry
of Canada and First Baptist Church, as part of a weekend entitled 'Til We All
Have Voices: Poverty, Complicity and Advocacy in An Unjust World'.
Andy told me with a grin that he and his wife
Joan had travelled from the UK
to tell stories. Although he described human suffering, he did so cheerfully,
focussing on the people helped by Oasis, the charitable trust of which he is
International Director. His aim in coming was to get us to try on the shoes of
the poor.
He described living in Mumbai , India ,
years ago and trying to help street kids. He and his wife were gripped by the
wrongness of it all, and opened a business where street kids learned a trade
while spending time with people who cared for them. The first step kids had to
take was learning to trust an adult.
Andy stresses that poverty is not primarily an
economic situation, but a breakdown of relationships and a lack of life
choices. Most of us can obtain healthcare, job training and access to a law
court. Among the poorest people are those traffiked into modern forms of
slavery, who have none of these freedoms.
In a video he showed Indian staff of Oasis in Bangalore , rescuing girls
in their early teens who had been sold, often by their own relatives, into the
huge prostitution industry in Mumbai.
Bringing it much closer to home, he then
exposed the ugly underbelly of the chocolate industry. A little under half of
our chocolate comes from plantations in Ivory Coast , often tended by
traffiked people. They are not free to leave, not paid, but are physically
abused if they resist. Many are in their early teens and have been forced away
from their family with false promises. Oasis has engaged with the management of
the largest chocolate producers, and carried out awareness campaigns and
lobbying. As a result, Mars and Cadbury have agreed to market Fairtrade
chocolate brands. Nestlé is still discussing the idea. Hersheys has apparently
not shown interest.
Andy showed how anyone can help to build a
world where everyone is treated fairly. It includes advocating for the poor,
and what we choose to buy, but it's much more about building relationships with
those nearby who have fewer choices than us. As a Christian, Andy believes that
every person is created in God's likeness and therefore has great worth. Find
Andy's book, 'In His Image: Understanding and Embracing the Poor', at
Amazon.com in paperback and Kindle formats. Oasis contributes to the 'Stop The
Traffik' campaign, and both have their own websites.
After Andy
Matheson's talk, he and his wife were presented with a painting of the Sleeping Giant. |
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