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Norwich Associate Pastor organises Walk for Freedom 

On Saturday 140 people dressed in black, many with tape over their mouths, silently marched single file through Norwich to shine a spotlight on issues of human trafficking and modern slavery in a Walk for Freedom coordinated by Gemma Neill from Proclaimers church.

WalkforFreedomNorwich600On Saturday, October 15 140 walkers all dressed in black and many with black tape over their mouths marched single file through the city of Norwich to highlight the 27 million people currently trapped in slavery today with no voice.  The march, which started in Chapelfield Gardens at 10.30am, was coordinated by the Associate Pastor of Norwich church Proclaimers, Gemma Neill.
 
Dubbed the ‘Walk for Freedom’, Norwich walkers were taking part in one of 270 walks happening across the globe in support of The A21 Campaign, a global anti-human trafficking organisation.
 
Gemma Neill, Associate Pastor of Proclaimers church who coordinated the walk in Norwich said: “We were thrilled to have so many people take part.  It’s important that as members of the public we draw attention to this issue and make people aware of the magnitude of it. The fact that only 1-2% of people trafficked are ever rescued and that the average age of someone trafficked for the first time is just 12 years old, is a huge failure in our generation and it’s time we all did our bit to make a stand and make a difference.
 
“And we were even more thrilled by the response of people passing by. We had so much support from the people of Norwich with many offering to donate to The A21 Campaign, the anti-trafficking charity we were supporting today. It’s important we do all we can to support agencies working in the fight against this shocking injustice”

Christine Caine, A21’s Founder and an international evangelist, says: “One step at a time. One dollar at a time. One life at a time. We will abolish modern-day slavery. This is a global phenomenon that knows no geographical boundaries, crossing not just borders but over the internet. So we need a radical domestic and international approach to target every aspect of this despicable trade and strip the slave drivers of the profit they make out of human suffering by putting them behind bar."

WalkforFreedomChapelfield600Gemma continued: “We were also excited to hear Prime Minister Theresa May’s comments at an event about human trafficking last week when she said: "We will work tirelessly, relentlessly pursuing the perpetrators of these appalling crimes so that victims of slavery can go free. And my message to these criminals is simply this: We are coming after you.””

The Walk For Freedom exists to eradicate modern-day slavery, a global reality that affects every continent and economic structure. The goal of the walk is not to protest, hand out flyers, or simply stay fit. The goal of the #WalkForFreedom is to take a united stance that will turn awareness into action. The true multiplication of this freedom message will be seen around the world through social media coverage and distributed on social media.
 
www.a21.org


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