News
The Christian Conference of Asia (CCA) is urging its member churches and councils to join the UN’s call to observe 30 July as the World Day Against Trafficking in Persons.
CCA general secretary Dr Mathews George Chunakara stated that “many Asians experience the worst forms of cruelty in the modern slavery of human trafficking. This should be arrested in all possible ways by governments and systematic advocacy measures should be undertaken to protect the dignity of victims of human trafficking”.
Chunakara added that in terms of the different types of trafficking outlined and identified by the UN, a vast number of people from several Asian countries were experiencing vulnerable situations.
Sexual exploitation and forced labour are the most prominent in many Asian countries but people are also trafficked and forced to act as beggars, construction workers, work in dangerous fishing industry jobs, and enter into fake marriages.
CCA has been organising Asia regional consultations annually since 2015 in order to help Asian churches to combat human trafficking.
The CCA is organizing an inter-regional consultation on human trafficking with a focus on “Migration, Human Trafficking and Asian diaspora in the Arabian Gulf Region” on 11-14 November in Bangkok, Thailand, which will also be open to representatives of Asian diaspora churches in the Arabian Gulf countries.
In addition, CCA’s Asia Regional Consultation on “Rights and Dignity of Children: Church’s Response” will be held on 16-20 September in Jakarta, Indonesia, with sessions related to combatting trafficking of children.
