Slavery protesters in chains (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)

Slavery protesters in chains

8:24am Wednesday 21st March 2007 in Swindon By Gazette Reporter

Members of a global coalition against people trafficking will chain themselves up this weekend.

Parishioners from St John the Baptist and St Helen's Church, in Wroughton, will chain themselves together in the Ellendune Centre between 10.30am and 11.30am on Saturday.

At the same time, the Rev Judy Ashby, the vicar of Cricklade and Latton, will be chained up with members of St Sampson's Power To Change Group in Cricklade High Street.

Both are part of Stop The Traffik, a group of 600 organisations, including World Vision, Christian Aid and Shell.

They are making the protest to mark Freedom Day on Sunday, which marks the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the slave trade.

Sally Parker, who will be at the Wroughton protest, said: "People-trafficking generates £4bn a year for criminals, which is more than Microsoft earns.

"Children are being used as slaves on the cocoa and coffee plantations of the Ivory Coast - they are trafficked in from Mali, sometimes sold by their parents and never seen again."

The Rev Ashby said: "Raising awareness of this issue is vital, so vital that I'm even willing to be chained up for it."

Passers-by in Cricklade will be encouraged to leave messages of support on a Freedom Wall that will go on display in St Sampson's Church.

For more information visit the website at www.stopthetraffik.org.