This week more than 2,000 letters from New Zealand children and young people will be presented to MPs calling for urgent action on modern slavery.

A delegation of World Vision youth Advocacy Ambassadors will present the letters to MPs on Parliament’s Steps at 12.30pm on Wednesday July 16. National MP Greg Fleming and Labour MP Camilla Belich will be there to receive the submissions.

The letters were written and collected at a series of World Vision New Zealand Youth Conferences and universities earlier in the year where thousands expressed their dismay at New Zealand’s lack of laws to address modern slavery.

World Vision Advocacy Ambassador 19-year-old Lily Murphy says New Zealand young people are passionate about the need for action on modern slavery.

“It is disgraceful that New Zealand has failed for so long to introduce any form of regulation against using modern slavery in Kiwi production lines.

“Young people are calling for a system where doing the right thing isn’t optional, it's the law,” the Dunedin student says.

Messages contained in the letters to MPs include:

• “I don’t want my belongings created by someone whose human rights are ignored.”
• “As a country we have a responsibility to ensure that our goods and services are not supporting exploitation, to prevent abuse, and support victims of slavery.”
• “New Zealanders deserve to know that our goods and services are not built on the backs of exploited people.”

Fellow World Vision Advocacy Ambassador, 19-year-old Breanna Rickman, says she hopes MPs will take heed of the collective call from young people for a Modern Slavery Act. 

“Young people all over New Zealand care about addressing modern slavery because they can see and understand the harsh effect it has on millions of people.

“We want the MPs to receive these letters and understand that there are so many people who are passionate about making this change for our country. This is a plea from New Zealand young people for our MPs to act as the representatives we voted them to be and back a Modern Slavery Bill,” she says.

There is currently a Private Member’s Bill from National MP Greg Flemming in the ballot while Labour was preparing to introduce a Modern Slavery Act when it was in Government.

World Vision National Director, Grant Bayldon, says there is cross party support for a modern slavery act.

“We know both Labour and National support some form of regulation to address modern slavery. Let’s capitalise on that consensus! We need our MPs to put the politics aside and to come together to protect the millions who are affected by modern slavery,” he says.

Note:

The following MPs will meet with the World Vision Advocacy Ambassadors as they present their letters:

• Rachel Brooking (Labour)
• Shanan Halbert (Labour)
• Ingrid Leary (Labour)
• Tamatha Paul (Green)
• Suze Redmayne (National)
• Tom Rutherford (National)
• Jane Tinetti (Labour)
• Ryan Hamilton (National)
• Debbie Ngarewa-Packer (Te Pati Maori)
• Miles Anderson (National)
• Menéndez March Ricardon (Green)
• Wedd Catherine (National)
• Willis Scott (Green)
• Camilla Belich (Labour)
• Greg Fleming (National)

Home Page | Politics | Previous Story | Next Story

Copyright (c) Scoop Media