In Plain Sight Conference, London, October 15

Some of the presenters at the conference, from left to right:  Anthony Brown (Caritas Salford Anti-Trafficking), Phil McCarthy (CEO, CSAN), Peter Hugh Smith (CEO, CCLA),  Cardinal Vincent Nichols,  Andrew Adams (Research Assistant: Ethical and Responsible Investment, CCLA),  Sion Hall (Chair, Pan Lancashire Anti-Slavery Partnership), Luke de Pulford (Director, Arise Foundation). Mark Wiggin was behind the camera

In Plain Sight, the first national Catholic conference to promote strategies in parishes and dioceses to counter Modern Day Slavery and Human Trafficking was held in London on 15 October.  A Caritas Salford Initiative, designed and delivered by Caritas Salford and the Catholic Social Action Network (CSAN), and hosted by CCLA investment Limited it was a full house with over seventy delegates from dioceses and religious congregations.  Over half the dioceses in England and Wales were represented.

The first Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner, now Senior Advisor to the Santa Marta group of the Bishops Conference of England and Wales, spoke of the scale of the problem at a global level.  The Santa Marta Group is developing strategies to reset the moral compass within the Church to make sure we are not complicit by indifference to this massive global crime. He said that events like this one will help make this change from words into action.

At a national lever there were inputs from the Santa Marta Group, Caritas Salford, Jesuit Refugee Service, Westminster Bahkita House, Women at the Well, the Medaille Trust, Pan Lancashire Anti-Slavery Partenrship, CCLA, Arise and Cardinal Vincent Nichols.

In concluding Cardinal Vincent Nichols said that agencies engaged in anti-trafficking need clear and shared objectives and the work of this conference was opening the door to the next phase.