News

Baroness Cox’s Letter to The Times on Modern Slavery Published 12/06/2020

12 June 2020

 

Sir,

While I support the concerns about the legacy of historical slavery, I fear there is a failure adequately to recognise and respond to the continuing tragedy of modern slavery, which comes in many forms. In recent years slavery has been used as a weapon of war in Sudan; sexual slavery and forced labour has occurred in Burma, former child soldiers are now seeking a new life in northern Uganda and human trafficking is taking place on our own doorsteps. Recent statistics cited by our government suggest that 40 million people globally are in slavery, of whom 4.8 million are victims of forced sexual exploitation and one in four is a child. Rather than toppling and removing statues, the priority must be to highlight and end contemporary slavery and to provide help for the victims enduring indescribable suffering today.

Baroness Cox

Back to News

Help our local partners realise their vision of hope for their communities