Emily Parker spoke with editor Peter Stanley about what slavery looks like today and what is being done to bring an end to it.



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Peter: Justice is saying no, people are not to be exploited; peoples' lives are infinitely valuable; they're valued by their creator and so justice is something to be fought for. When God talks about justice in the word, He always talks about righteousness and compassion alongside justice. So justice is not taking someone to court and punishing them. Justice in God's eyes is going the extra mile; it's helping other people and valuing life. Justice is a way of life and compassion is a way of life. It's being there for people and helping people. Certainly when you are talking about victims of modern day slavery, there is such deep damage done to people's spirits that it takes time. We have to be compassionate and help people and provide them with a safe place to live. We need to help them learn a skill so they can get a job again and their own self-worth. They need to know that they are in a safe place, with people that can be trusted and it all takes time. You can't do it over night with a campaign saying, "You're free, now off you go".

Justice takes time. In a way we live in a world of instant fixes - fast food - everything has to be done quickly. We've got Twitter and Facebook and you can find out the news in seconds. Yet we all know that the things that really matter in life take time, like building relationships, friendships and caring for other people. These things take days, weeks, months and years of being knocked down and sometimes things going wrong, but you get back up and you keep doing it. That's how you show real hope for people - that you keep on going and you're there for them through thick and thin.

Emily: What are you doing with the profit from the book?

Peter: Nick and I have spent about a year and a half putting this together. A lot of work has gone into it, but right from the start we decided we didn't want to make any profit out of this. None of the contributors have asked for any royalties either. We are going to give all of the money to the victims of trafficking.

It's going to go exactly where the victims need it, so it could be to furnish a room in a safe home, or to give them gifts or toiletries. We're also looking to help them get back into education and get a college degree, or be able to get back into a job.

It will be a fund that will be set up and all of the contributors will be regularly updated with exactly where all the funds are going. Hopefully that will be a rolling programme that will encourage other people to start match-funding, so that the fund can grow.

You can buy Fighting Slavery: Faith In Action from Cross Rhythms Direct for £9.49. CR

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.