Stopping Injustice
Mothers’ Union are working with the Clewer Initiative to end modern slavery by 2030
Both Mothers’ Union and the Clewer Initiative believe that the tools to end modern day slavery already exist within our local communities. We envision that the Church, which is present and at the heart of communities, has a primary responsibility in leading this effort.
The Clewer Iniative is a project that enables the Church of England and its wider networks to develop strategies to detect modern day slavery in their communities. They can then help provide victim support and care. This involves working with the Church locally to identify resources already available to be utilised. Also, there is a focus on developing partnerships with others and thus creating a wider network of advocates seeking to end modern slavery.
On a more national level the initiative is developing a network of practitioners who are committed to sharing models of best practice and providing evidence-based data to resource the Church’s national engagement with Government, statutory and non-statutory bodies.
History and context
The initiative is funded by the Clewer Sisters, an Anglican order of Augustinian nuns founded in 1852 to help marginalised, mainly females, who found themselves homeless and drawn into the sex trade by providing them with shelter and teaching them a trade.
The work of the Clewer Sisters mirrors the work that our members are doing in thousands of communities around the world and this had led to our natural partnership to end modern slavery. We also both value the importance of building the resilience of those most at risk. We shall be working in equal partnership to set up a body of work to address and raise awareness of the subject.
The key focus of our work together is in:
- Identifying and setting up training opportunities, materials and manuals for volunteers, staff and members. We also want to create presentations, posters and video clips to help raise awareness
- Producing a credit card sized card to help communities identify and respond safely to potential cases of modern slavery
- Collaborating on key contacts at national and local level to develop and get involved in local initiatives to identify and prevent modern day slavery as appropriate
- Creating national and local advocacy campaigns that members and others can get involved in to raise awareness of the subject, including involvement in Anti-slavery Day and the safer car app
- Establishing a prayer network that regularly focuses on this initiative
To find out more about the Clewer Initiative click here
