Franca Pellegrini
I have been the Director of GFN for the past four years. I have a commercial background but decided to devote my career to this cause four years ago. What is the background of the Walk Free Foundation and Global Freedom Network?
Walk Free was founded by Grace and Dr. Andrew Forrest in 2010. It is part of and funded by the Minderoo Foundation, which is a philanthropic foundation working to arrest unfairness and create opportunities in Australia and around the world
Global Freedom Network is the faith-based arm of Walk Free.Why is it necessary for religious leaders to sign a joint declaration against modern slavery, and what is the purpose of this?
It is first and foremost an important symbolic event which helps to create awareness of these crimes, which affect most nations on earth.
We also want to build a network of faith leaders who can share their common wisdom and empathy to help encourage social and regulatory change in their countries.
We believe faith leaders can play a vital role identifying and supporting victims – particularly in poorly resourced communities. Let us talk about the initiative to date and which African countries have signed the declaration ?
The declaration was launched at the Vatican in Rome in 2014. From Pope Francis and Grand Ayatollah Mohammad Taqi al-Modarresi at the Vatican, to Sheikh Aremeyaw Shaibu and other faith leaders in Accra, more than 100 faith leaders across the world have now endorsed this unique pledge, contained in these books over there.
Which religions, via their Faith Leaders, are supporting the declaration?
Interfaith collaboration is at the heart of GFN’s philosophy. All major faiths have given its endorsement to the declaration at each signing so far, which includes; Islamic, Catholic, Anglican, Methodist, Orthodox, Hindu, Protestant and Pentecostal.What is modern slavery?
It is a broad term, used to describe a range of crimes, of which human trafficking is perhaps the most common and well known. Pope Francis defined this crime in 2013 with these words – when people “…are treated as objects, deceived, assaulted, often sold many times for different purposes and, in the end, killed or, in any case, physically and mentally harmed, ending up discarded and abandoned”.
Is African affected by modern slavery?
As are many countries across the world, most African countries are afflicted by various forms of modern slavery. Which African country was the first country to sign?
We held our first African signing in Accra, Ghana, in 2021. In addition to Ghanaian faith leaders, it was also attended by faith leaders from Nigeria and Côte d’ Ivoire, and endorsed remotely by the Interfaith councils of Kenya and South Africa. Do you have any statistics on modern day slavery applicable to Africa or any other countries?
Walk Free publishes the Global Slavery Index, which charts the prevalence of and governmental response to modern slavery crimes across the world. In terms of regulatory response, South Africa, Côte d’ Ivoire and Nigeria are among nine countries in Africa to be rated B; the others rate more poorly. Ten countries – mainly in Europe – are rated A.The Faith For Freedom App is also being launched – please explain more about the App and its purpose?
The app provides concise and clear information about modern slavery and human trafficking. We piloted it in Ghana, and are now launching it in Nigeria, Cote d’ivoire, DRC, Kenya and South Africa. There are country specific profiles for each country. Our approach is to work with a local advisory panel of faith leaders; we provide the initial skeleton content, and then pass over editorial control to them – to expand, add case studies, and country specific prayers.
In parallel, there is also a universal section, in several languages, which provides a broad overview of these crimes and resources to combat them.
How does one access the App?
Google and Apple app stores.Are there any successes to date which you can elaborate on with regards to the use of the App?
In Ghana, the app’s advisory panel ran a social media and TV campaign to promote awareness of International Migration Day in December 2021. They are also working on a programme to promote awareness of anti-trafficking hotlines in buses crossing Ghana’s land borders.
Also see below a testimonial from Very Rev Opeyemi Awe General Secretary, Africa Methodist Council:
The faith for freedom app is a trailblazer in the engagement of faith-based organizations in joint action against all form of human trafficking which is a crime against humanity. The app offers information on how to identify the victims, how to help and other resources which can assist faith leaders in engaging their congregations against these acts of modern slavery. The app has also made interfaith cooperation possible in a world where there is so much division. Faith for freedom app is loaded with so many resources that the Africa Methodist Council had to introduce it to its members by inviting the Global Freedom Network to speak about it during the Councils commemoration of the 2021 United Nations’ (UN) International Day for the Abolition of Slavery which is annually held on December 2 to raise awareness of the atrocities of modern slavery at Tema Ghana. We at the Africa Methodist Council are willing to spread the use of the app to all our Conferences and especially among the young people who are mostly affected by the effect of human trafficking and irregular migration. I personally use the app as a readymade resource for speaking on the atrocities of human trafficking, not only does it speak about the problem but links and resources to the solution is also part of the package.
