BMS World Mission has launched a major new campaign against the trade of people for exploitation at the Baptist Assembly in Brighton.
In Transit urges Christians in the UK to sign and return a campaign postcard declaring their opposition to human trafficking and their support for Christians in Albania who are working to make a change.
The trafficking of people has become a very real problem for Albania, which is primarily a country of origin. Two thirds of trafficking victims from Albania - the vast majority of which are girls and women - are sent to either Greece or Italy and around one in 50 end up in the UK.
For several years now, evangelical Christians in Albania have been practically helping trafficking victims through a women's prison ministry, supported by BMS representative for counter-trafficking work, Hannah Wilson.
They are now stepping up their work by lobbying the Albanian government to create more effective legislation and training people in churches to know how to prevent trafficking in their communities and how best to support victims.
The campaign is launched at a time when the world marks the bicentenary of the act to abolish the transatlantic slave trade. This - as well as modern forms of slavery, such as human trafficking - is the focus of the Baptist Assembly held in Brighton this bank holiday weekend, entitled "In search of freedom".
"In Transit gives churches the opportunity to take very practical action in ending the scandal of people trafficking," said Mark Craig, BMS World Mission director for communications.
