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Xmas come on a-pace, what? But – before I file away the Melbourne Parliament of the World’s Religions, two items need to go out to you, I think, for I would like to share them with you all.

Firstly, our stall in the Exhibition Hall. We had an excellent position, and at No. 14, were very close to the main entrance and thus able to attract many visitors and enquiries. Very obvious and attracting was our large banner. It is quite graphic really in its basic burgundy, featuring the targeted victims as lighter profiles against a panel of black. The labelling, printing and website are in large white letters. You could not miss it – standing out and drawing persons for a closer look, and then a chat for more info. Many thanks are due to our graphic artist in Brisbane, Melissa Diaz. As earlier approved and endorsed by the then executive, this closely impacting trio of banner, brochure and business cards now bears our integrated message and picture worldwide.

Also worldwide, on the same Tuesday and beamed on Foxtel News for one hour, was the ACRATH workshop of Pauline Coll, MSS, the Melbourne Salvation Army’s Danielle Strickland with her “two months new” son Judah – the star – and Stancea Vichie, MSS, who unfortunately being quite unwell was very limited in what she could do, despite the earlier planning.

But why Foxtel? Why us? How newsworthy? How different? Well, we were certainly very different. In a room designed for some 130 persons, the enthusiasm of the standing room only crowd conveyed much, as did the enthusiastic and wholehearted response by many persons requesting to go into groups to discuss what they could do to help; and then continuing the conversations for some minutes after the conclusion. This workshop surely was religion, conveying a highly relevant, dynamically active and compassionate Christianity. But what underpinned the impact and the possible ongoing effects.

Firstly, for those persons arriving early, each was welcomed individually, then came the up-front acknowledging the national origins of the audience. Pauline’s brief outline of the current horrors was complemented by carefully selected film clips from the United Nations and the US Immigration Dept; each depicting stories of women, men and children caught up in the traps of poverty, ambition and others’ greed. Despite the disgust and cruelty shown in the trafficking of adults, perhaps it was the children’s stories which were most wrenching; the plight of the fisher boys, the child soldiers, the kidnapped-and-sold or the cocoa farm workers. Whatever... years of suffering and possible death bound them all together as persons-as-commodities. The exploiting of the vulnerable and the weak. ar more positively, Danielle was then able to focus on the big chocolate companies and their enslaved child labour force in some African countries... But she was able to explain clearly and winningly some of the victories to hand and those soon to come. She narrated how her six year old son publicly rejected Cadbury’s ‘crack eggs’. If he could do something, we could surely do something. The message went out with a bang, (not a whimper).

I am sorry that you were not there to experience the presentation and the presenters themselves. They were some act. Great. So, serious and many congratulations... and to all concerned in preparing, organising, arranging, time spending and chatting in Melbourne – putting ACRATH onto a large screen, sure, but primarily proclaiming to the world on the worldwide screen the urgency of getting in there to counter the evils of today’s trafficking-slavery.

by Mary Mooney, ACRATH secretary

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Mary Mooney, Pauline Coll & Stancea Vichie at the ACRATH Exhibit, Parliament of the World’s Religions,
3-9 Dec 2009, Melbourne, Australia

ACRATH Exhibit,
Parliament of the World’s Religions

Pauline Coll, Stancea vichie, Danielle and Judah Strickland at the ACRATH Workshop, Parliament of the World’s Religions