‘Make hospitality your special care.’ Romans 12:13
On 13 February, Caritas Diocese of Plymouth held an event for the Feast of St Bakhita to raise awareness of the risks of labour abuse and modern slavery in the care sector. The guest speaker was Louise Gleich from Justice and Care – an organisation dedicated to tackling modern slavery. We were pleased to be joined by The Lord Mayor Councillor (Mrs) Tina Tuohy and Lady Mayoress Freya Hitt. We are grateful to Plymouth City Council for contributing to the costs of the event. Canon John Deeny opened the event with a prayer and asked God to ‘sow in us a restless spirit that refuses to look away’.
The meeting reflected on the recent report by Justice and Care which highlighted concerns about the treatment of international workers. Modern Slavery is one of the social action themes chosen by Pope Francis for prayer, discussion and action during this Jubilee Year.
The care sector is particularly affected by staff shortages which have been filled largely by international workers. Many international workers will have a positive experience of working in the UK, but some are exploited and maltreated. Issues include not being paid minimum wage; not being given training or equipment; working excessively long hours or not being given enough hours to live on; being charged high fees to come to the UK; deceived about the nature of the role; provided with accommodation but charged a very high rent.
International workers are tied to a sponsoring employer and are stuck until they find another sponsor and people can feel like there is no way out; employers can coerce victims and people might not know their rights. People will also be missing their family support network.
We talked about the challenges facing migrant care workers in our local communities. Migrant workers often face racism and lack support networks. As Pilgrims of Hope, there is an opportunity for catholic communities to step into that gap and provide a warm and inclusive welcome. Caritas Plymouth will be sharing guidance in the coming months for our parish and school communities.
We discussed what do we do if we have concerns about someone’s situation and there are lots of sources of support. The Justice and Care report offers great advice. Caritas Diocese of Plymouth and the diocesan safeguarding team are also on hand to offer guidance. Just email caritas@prcdtr.org.uk or safeguarding@prcdtr.org.uk
Thank you to Fr Appollos and Holy Trinity Plymouth parish for kindly hosting the event.
For more information about our refugee and migration project please contact alexandra.miranda@prcdtr.org.uk