Australian mining magnate Andrew Forrest has done the impossible, united Catholic, Anglican and Mulsim faiths over one of the world’s most horrifying issues – slavery.
Forrest has launched the Global Freedom Network – an organisation led by the Pope, the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Grad Imam of al-Azhar in Egypt. The network’s purpose is to free the world’s slaves (estimated at 30 million people).
Andrew Forrest’s drive to end slavery is a deeply personal one, stemming from first hand experience.
Five years ago, Andrew Forrest’s daughter Grace, aged 15, volunteered at an orphanage in Nepal, but afterwards found out that all of the children she had been caring for were being ‘groomed’ for sex work.
Forrest set up a team to find out what happened, discovering that the children had been trafficked through India into the Middle East.
Travelling to Asia with his wife Nicola, he met some of the victims. One girl, who began working when she was only nine, has remained in his memory. ‘She hadn’t spoken for several months. She gave her story and from that point on she would only rock on her bed and whimper.’
‘When I walked through the little columns of beds to this kid, she was wailing at the back and just rocking from side to side. The screams she let out when she saw an approaching male, and the horror and revulsion and the terror on her little face will be stuck with Nicola and I forever.’
Andrew Forrest’s experiences researching the slave industry changed his outlook on life irreversibly. He resigned from his role as Chief Executive of Fortescue, taking a position as a non-executive director and diverting much of his time towards philanthropic causes.
Forrest proposed an alliance between multiple faiths and his already established Walk Free Foundation. He recruited Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, and Ahmed al-Tayyeb, the Grand Imam of al-Azhar, to join with the Pope in support of the cause. Forrest used his business savvy to make the initiative a success and unite such diverse leaders.
‘This was just unbelievable,’ sais Forrest. ‘There has never been an operating agreement between [Catholic and Islamic institutions] ever in history.’
‘This is set up like a high-achieving, measurement-driven, totally target-oriented company,’ says Andrew Forrest. ‘It’s like a hard-edged business. We are out to defeat slavery, we are not out to feel good. This is our mission. You see the complete hopelessness in the eyes. It’s like I’m stuck, I will never get help, I am dirt. Then you know that you can’t rest until you free them.’
The Global Freedom Network aims to remove slavery from religious and government supply chains, for the G20 to adopt a new anti-slavery and human trafficking initiative and for 50 multinational businesses to commit to ‘slavery-proofing’ their supply chains.
To learn more about Andrew Forrest’s Walk Free Foundation, and The Global Freedom Network, visit: walkfreefoundation.org
Image Credit: The Age
