9 minute read
Fighting for Freedom
With close to 50 million people caught up in modern slavery and human trafficking globally, the odds of bringing down this evil giant may seem insurmountable. However, Captain Sammy Millar explains how The Salvation Army is fighting for freedom and making a tangible difference in the lives of victims around the world—including in our four nations.
WORDS Jules Badger
For close to four years now, Captain Sammy Millar, corps officer at Palmerston North Corps (church), has been integrating her additional appointment of ‘Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking Response Contact Person’ into her life and ministry.
‘That title is such a mouthful,’ laughs Sammy. ‘But the idea behind the role is to coordinate The Salvation Army’s response to modern slavery and human trafficking (MSHT) here in New Zealand, Fiji, Tonga and Samoa. It’s a reality within all four nations of our territory and each country requires its own coordinated local response,’ she explains.
More than numbers
So what is MSHT? Anti-Slavery International defines human trafficking as the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of people through force, fraud, coercion or deception, with the purpose of exploiting them for profit. The Salvation Army’s international positional statement refers to MSHT as the umbrella term for human trafficking for sex, labour or organs, exploitative labour practices, child labour and early and/or forced marriage. It involves not just individuals but also social and economic systems. Victims are usually vulnerable people trying to escape poverty, improve their lives and support their families.
According to the latest global estimates of modern slavery from Walk Free (2022), the International Labour Organization and the International Organization for Migration, 49.6 million people live in modern slavery including forced labour and forced marriage. Roughly a quarter of all victims of modern slavery are children. There are 22 million people in forced marriages and two out of five of these are children. Of the 27.6 million people trapped in forced labour, 17.3 million are in forced labour exploitation in the private economy, 6.3 million are in commercial sexual exploitation and nearly 4 million are in forced labour imposed by state authorities. The pandemic exacerbated conditions that lead to modern slavery, with migrant workers becoming particularly vulnerable.
The Salvation Army internationally is deeply committed to the fight against modern slavery and human trafficking in all its forms.
Her Freedom Song
Early in her officership, Sammy was exposed to the injustices that women face globally through an intense period of reading.
‘That was the beginning of God stirring up something within me,’ explains Sammy. ‘My eyes were opened. MSHT really upset and infuriated me. And I’m not the kind of person who can take in new information and do nothing. Ever since then I’ve been doing what I can to combat injustice and share what I’ve learnt with others.’
Readers may recall the New Zealand-based ‘Her Freedom Song’ conferences, which Sammy spearheaded a decade ago, focusing on justice for women globally. During the final conference in 2016, a young woman shared her testimony about gang involvement and how she escaped that life. The next speaker was Sarah Scott-Webb from Hagar International who spoke about the realities of human trafficking, the indicators and how to respond. The penny dropped and the young woman who had just shared her testimony recognised that what Sarah was explaining was what she had experienced—she had been trafficked within New Zealand’s gang world.
‘This brave young woman’s story revealed that trafficking is alive and well right here in our own backyard,’ says Sammy.
The first case of human trafficking to be prosecuted in New Zealand took place in 2016. It was discovered in a church environment when a perceptive person noticed some red flags in the story of a visitor. Further questions led to the recognition that something was very wrong. The case was reported and the mastermind behind an elaborate trafficking scheme, Faroz Ali, was prosecuted and imprisoned for human trafficking. He had lured 15 Fijian workers to New Zealand with false promises of high wages and working visas.
Fighting for freedom
The Salvation Army’s international ‘Fight for Freedom Strategy’ has eight action areas: prayer, prevention, protection, partnerships, participation, policy, prosecution and proof. These are being championed by Sammy, who is collaborating with other organisations to advocate for changes to government policy and law. She is also leading training days, as well as frontfooting campaigns like the recent ‘Let My People Go’ September prayer focus for The Salvation Army internationally.
In the ongoing fight for freedom, Sammy explains that an exciting development happening in New Zealand is the launch of the new ‘return and repatriation’ guidelines for trafficking victims.
‘The Salvation Army’s global network means that regardless of the country someone is from, we can work with the Army in their home country to ensure they have the best support when they return. Our hope is that instead of deporting victims and survivors of MSHT, we can work with government departments to ensure genuine repatriation and reintegration.’
One of the actions Sammy is encouraging people to take is to sign ECPAT’s petition to government for the establishment of a MSHT helpline. ECPAT is a global network of organisations that work towards abolishing sexual exploitation and abuse of children.
‘It’s difficult for people to report exploitation or seek advice because there’s no referral system here in New Zealand,’ explains Sammy. ‘We are advocating for a helpline that isn’t managed or handled by the government, but by a separate organisation, because people who have been trafficked are fearful of going to the authorities. It’s a real barrier if victims have experienced some level of corruption already in their country of origin. Signing the petition is something practical that people can do right now.’ (See link on page 11).
Also, working alongside other organisations like Tearfund, World Vision and ECPAT, The Salvation Army’s Social Policy and Parliamentary Unit is currently providing support to a research coalition by helping develop resources for the public to use when a private member’s bill to increase prosecution of traffickers comes out. The key piece of work here is lobbying the government for an amendment to the Crimes Act 1961.
‘At the moment, international legislation does not require evidence of coercion or deception for a child to have been trafficked. However, our legislation here in New Zealand requires deception or coercion to be evident before the crime can be considered trafficking. But we are talking about children, so this definition needs to be amended as soon as possible,’ insists Sammy. ‘There will be a template available equipping people to lobby their local MP,’ she explains.
Our own backyard
Sammy recently ran three training days in Wellington educating Salvation Army officers (church leaders) and staff about MSHT. Preparation is underway for training in Christchurch, and then in Auckland which Sammy describes as ‘a hotspot’ for exploitation and trafficking.
‘It’s crucial that we don’t dismiss MSHT as something that happens overseas, because it is happening in our own backyards. So the more we can do to learn about what it looks like in New Zealand, Fiji, Tonga and Samoa the better. It is essential that we are educated about current trends and know how to recognise, respond and report a case if we suspect someone may have been trafficked or exploited,’ explains Sammy. ‘I am vigilant when I discover people who don’t have access to their own passport, for example, or who have concerns about their visa status or their working environment.’
Sammy reports that The Salvation Army in New Zealand has been working with a handful of people who have been identified as victims of trafficking.
‘In most cases this means advocacy in terms of healthcare and access to lawyers, food and accommodation, and WINZ [Work and income New Zealand]. Certified trafficking victims have entitlements and sometimes require support to access these entitlements. Non-judgemental support and advocacy are essential, and something we can offer at a local level,’ she explains.
Along with Captain Missy Ditchburn, Sammy has produced resources that can be used at any time to educate and inform Salvationists about MSHT. There are resources available for youth and children, and a special family service appropriate for all ages has been carefully designed and provided (see link below).
Principalities and powers
Sammy reports an alarming trend in Southeast Asia, —Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, the Philippines—and Peru, where young tech graduates are being lured by the promise of a lucrative job overseas, only to be trafficked to compounds where their passports are confiscated and they are essentially kept prisoner. They are forced to use their skills to scam others and are trapped into performing criminal activities.
‘It is vital that we pray,’ says Sammy, ‘because we don’t always consider that the strangers adding us on social media could be victims of forced criminality.’
The Salvation Army’s International Day of Prayer for Victims of MSHT is held annually on the last Sunday of September. ‘If you missed it this year, get it in the calendar for 2025,’ urges Sammy. Prayer resources can also be easily accessed internally on the Army’s SharePoint—you don’t have to wait until September 2025.
‘Prayer is essential in the fight for freedom because the struggle isn’t just against flesh and blood but against principalities and power at the spirit level. There is an oppressive force that wants to keep people bound and imprisoned. But as people who follow Jesus, we want to see people set free. The day of prayer was all about mobilising people to pray against this evil, but also about creating space for people to think about how they can respond in terms of action. Both are part of our response as followers of Jesus—the one who came to literally set the captives free. How will you respond?’
