The Baptist Union is committed to three core activities. The first is “Kingdom Growth”. Given the history of some Christian groups it should be pointed out that the “Kingdom” here is not our personal or denominational Kingdom but the “Kingdom of our God and of his Christ” who seeks to have a reconciling, redemptive and personal relationship with every one of His creation. Please read John 3:16 and 17 in the context of Matthew 5-7; a personal and socially committed gospel.
Our second emphasis is “Leadership Development” to be pursued in our upcoming Area Visits, Carey Centre, the (new) William Carey Institute, spiritual formation, small groups, camps, and much, much more. We find ourselves placing a fair amount of value on leadership development. We are not always certain of our goals and outcomes but we are working on them.
I see the whole area of evangelism in its many forms to be an area of work which will include starting a new affinity group on evangelism. More of that later; sometime in June.
Our other area of growth is the third core value in the denomination “Alleviating Poverty and Suffering”. We are strong historically in this area; Tommy Douglas, John Diefenbaker, Jimmy Carter, Billy Graham
and Martin Luther King Jr. to name a few. We have committed acts of mercy and kindness too numerous to mention. Agents of transformation like the “Seeds” and Salisbury Housing Society (Grandview Calvary) who attempt systematic change are rare in our polity and they must become more common. We are going to begin an affinity network on justice issues (a non-partisan one somewhere in the balance of personal responsibility and the sharing and fair distribution of God’s abundance to us). We cannot engage the world biblically unless we are concerned with the redemption of people spiritually, materially, and socially. We cannot attempt this as partisans but as Christians from a wide variety of social, political, and experiential backgrounds. I personally have little patience with those from any political perspective whose politics and social policy have not been informed by the scriptures. The self interest of the left and right must be restrained and informed by a primary allegiance to Christ.
This last section (alleviating poverty and suffering) has taken on a particular face in recent months with the Board affirming a ministry to those who are victims of Human trafficking in the sex trade.
Below is an introduction to the whole topic, an outline of a pilot project in Vancouver with Michelle Miller of Grandview Calvary and a challenge to prayerfully and actively challenge this outrageous, abominable and predatory behaviour against women and children who would not face such trauma if they were related or known to any one of us. These people and those who work with them will become known to us over the following months.
Michelle’s material is as follows:
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Human trafficking refers to transportation of persons for forced labor, sexual exploitation or other illicit activities.
Human trafficking has become a global business that generates huge profits between $8 and $9 billion for traffickers and organized criminal groups. It is the third largest criminal activity next to drugs and arms, and the fastest growing. Because of it’s clandestine nature, human trafficking is likely to remain an increasingly underreported crime, but it is estimated that between 700,000 to two million persons are trafficked each year.
Poverty and lack of economic opportunity make women and children potential victims of traffickers associated with international criminal organizations. They are vulnerable to false promises of job opportunities in other countries. Many of those who accept these offers from what appear to be legitimate sources find themselves in situations where their documents are destroyed, their selves or their families threatened with harm, or they are bonded by a debt that they have no chance of repaying.
While women and children are particularly vulnerable to trafficking for the sex trade, human trafficking is not limited to sexual exploitation. It also includes persons who are trafficked into ‘forced’ marriages or into bonded labour markets, such as sweat shops, agricultural plantations, or domestic service.
WHAT IS TRAFFICKING?
Facts and myths
MYTH Trafficking involves transporting immigrants across international borders
FACT That’s smuggling. Trafficking means coercing another person to perform labor or a commercial sexual activity. It includes debt bondage, peonage, and involuntary servitude. Many victims never leave their home country.
MYTH Trafficking involves violence and confinement.
FACT It can, but deceit, psychological manipulation, and threats of violence are also effective – and illegal – means of coercion.
MYTH Human trafficking is a Third World problem.
FACT While many victims come from poor countries, much of the market for labor and sex is in wealthy nations – including Canada and the US.
Gender-Based Analysis
Women vulnerable to gender-based violence and gender discrimination
Lack of education
Lack of economic opportunities
Feminization of poverty
Migration discrimination (Canada immigration)
Family violence
Precarious employment in the informal sector
Make up 70% of the world’s poor
Women and children make up 80% of the world’s 25 million refugees
Human Trafficking and Smuggling
Another negative consequence of restrictive measures by industrialized countries has been an increase in human trafficking, particularly of women and children. Described by the United Nations as the fastest-growing form of transnational organized crime, this affliction is a menace to Canadian migrants as well. Many victims think that once they succeed in entering industrialized countries they will find work, and so will be able to leave poverty behind and help family members who remain in their country of origin. Unfortunately, those whom they have trusted to help them in transit sometimes become their captors in order to exploit them in the sex industry. Although Canadian immigration law now recognizes this as a crime, there has been little progress in protecting the victims.
Background and Need
The International Organization of Migration estimates that up to four million women and children are trafficked throughout the world each year. There are 8,000-16,000 people trafficked into Canada annually, according to the Solicitor General of Canada. Many of these people are women and female children forced to work in Canada’s booming sex trade. Vancouver is both a transit point and a destination city for women from the Philippines, Cambodia, Vietnam and other countries. Victims of trafficking are sexually exploited in brothels in the Vancouver area, placed on the circuit between major urban centres in Canada, or further trafficked into the United States over the border with Washington State.
The Canadian Government is significantly behind other Western nations in their progress towards combating the issue of trafficking in persons. Until last year Canada was ranked Tier 2 of the Trafficking in Persons Report published by the U.S. Department of State Office to Combat and Monitor Trafficking in Persons, indicating that the Canadian government was taking less than minimal steps to address trafficking through prosecution, prevention and protection measures. Less than a year ago the Canadian Government assigned twenty-five RCMP officers to investigate sex trafficking in British Columbia, a sign that they are beginning to address the issue. Canada is currently working from a punitive approach that targets the traffickers but offers no protection or services to the women and youth who are victims. If a trafficked woman were identified under this system she would be sent to detention and deported. This reflects a lack of political determination to declare trafficking in persons as a severe crime that violates the dignity and rights of the victim. Due to this the federal government does not allocate funding for services to victims of trafficking. Further research indicates that the human resources dedicated to this issue in Canada are very minimal. Not one of the surveyed NGOs has a full-time person mandated to work on the rights of trafficked women. There is a lack of practical information and alliances tackling the necessary programs including intervention, protection and restoration.
There are several specific needs that need to be addressed. Proposed legislation addressing the immigration status of trafficked persons will soon be sent to Ottawa. This legislation includes language to create a pilot project for victim services. In order to maximize social services it will be necessary to map the existing resources in Vancouver in order to develop a network of services to address the special needs of trafficked persons. It is also vital to take into account existing models of intervention, protection and restoration, public awareness campaigns and capacity building so that we can collectively discern what will be most effective in the Canadian context.
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In the next months will look at both evangelism, leadership and justice in new and complementary ways. We will try to end the policy and Ballanization of the faith and live into being a more balanced and biblical people.
Warmly,
In Christ,
Jeremy Bell