ENDING MODERN DAY SLAVERY; THE ROLE OF THE CHURCH

Despite the abolition of slavery some 200 years ago, many youths in our poor rural communities are still living in vulnerable conditions and are exposed to modern day slavery. Gender inequality, social instability and lack of education and awareness have stood as the major causes for present day human trafficking in our rural communities. Bamenda the capital city of the North West of Cameroon is both a source and destination for those that are trafficked. Poverty in our rural communities has caused the human trafficking ring to prey on our vulnerable people, deceiving them with false promises and hopes thus separating them from their families and support structures.

Fighting the evil is still a very perilous task and under-reported, with many traffickers going along free in the society with impunity. Modern day slavery is further strengthened by the absence of strong support structures and empowering opportunities. Thus, these communities are daily depleted of their strength of growth. The church which is a strong arm of the society is not taking its position in the fight to end this evil trade.

The Church will constitute a major entry point and will be mobilized to take its invaluable role in the prevention of the heinous crime and raise awareness about the consequences of the trade to our community. We will organize special services dedicated to sharing about the reality of modern day slavery, teaching about God's heart for justice and invoking in the congregants a zeal to stand up against the trade.

The approach will be to continue to target and work with pastors, Church leaders and congregations in source and destination communities for modern day slavery in the North West Region of Cameroon.

The church is respected by almost everybody irrespective of race, class, ethnic origin, language, culture, political leanings and sexual orientation. Christians adhere to the teachings of the bible and are better placed to understand their responsibility in respecting God's views for justice and for humanity. The church harbours victims, middlemen and the traffickers themselves. The church is well placed to bring an end to the evil trade.

My passion is to contribute in educating, empowering and involving youths in the church especially girls as community activist and defenders of their rights. Modern day slavery is ravaging our communities our youth are kidnapped or abducted and are exploited daily. I have a heart and passion for rescuing the oppressed. My fulfilment will come by contributing to end the abusive trade in human and to dismantle the network of traffickers in our context.

Our strategy at MercySeed is to mobilize and work with pastors, church leaders and their congregations in our trafficking prone communities. They will play a leading role in the prevention of this heinous crime, working together with their colleague pastors and leaders to bring the Gospel's viewpoint on justice as prescribed by our Almighty God. Invoking empathy in the hearts of the congregation and a sense of remorse for their sins to deprive other human beings of their inherent rights from creation. Pastors, Evangelist, and other church leaders include the issue of modern day slavery in their sermons, teachings and counselling of members.

Together, we can lead the Church in protecting vulnerable people from the horrors of trafficking. We need to connect with like-minded persons to find ways we can partner to educate our congregations about this oppression and how to protect their communities from traffickers.

We will be doing a tremendous work and creating a great impact in the heart of disadvantage communities that have almost perennially remained vulnerable to the web of traffickers. We all have the obligation to be one another's keeper and thus to join the fight to end modern day slavery and to make the world a better place for all.