Council on Legislation 2013

PDG Barry Catchpole (RC of Norwich St Edmund) has been chosen to represent  District 1080 at the next Council on Legislation in 2013. We have already agreed that we will be submitting another Resolution on Child Slavery to this Council. But we have to move fast. The deadline for submission is 31^st December 2011, but before then we need to a) agree a wording of the new resolution and b) get the approval of District Council to the Resolution.  A draft is listed below.

NSE'S PROPOSED MOTION ON CHILD SLAVERY to

THE COUNCIL ON LEGISLATION  2013

                                                        PROPOSED LEGISLATION

 To request the RI Board to demonstrate their support and encouragement of the efforts of all those persons and organisations (eg Rotary Clubs, anti-slavery organisations) which seek to eradicate the practice of child slavery and to rescue, rehabilitate and reintegrate children who have been subjected to conditions which amount to "slavery". In this context, a slave is a child who is "forced to work for no pay, who is not free to leave and who is controlled by violence or the threat of violence".

NB: References to "slavery" and "child slavery" are not intended to include the broad category of child labourers who may be obliged to work because of adverse family circumstances but who at least have freedom of movement and are paid, however poorly.      

 WHEREAS slavery has been declared illegal in every country in the world, the International Labour Organisation currently estimates that there are 8.4 million children who are in slavery, forced to work or provide services, under threat of violence and for no pay. Worldwide there are countless examples of urban and rural economies  where child slavery is manifestly widespread, to the extent that the risk of Rotarian involvement in the trade, either directly or indirectly but knowingly, has become real and appreciable.

IT IS RESOLVED to call on the Board of Rotary International to arrange the production of a Position Statement on Child Slavery which will highlight the evils of the practice, remind members of their ethical responsibilities and encourage Clubs to distinguish between the concepts of child labour, and of child slavery so as to ensure that none of their members are directly or indirectly but knowingly involved with the practice of Child Slavery.

IT IS FURTHER RESOLVED to ask the Board of Rotary International to include the topic of "Child Slavery" at the next appropriate meeting of Rotary Day at the United Nations and to encourage Clubs to actively support those organisations whose main aims are the elimination of child slavery and the rescue, rehabilitation and reintegration of children who have been subjected to trafficking, slavery and servitude.      

                                                               PURPOSE AND EFFECT

Today Rotarians have a choice on the issue of "child slavery". They can either despair that exploitation is an age old problem, that human nature never changes, and that  slavery is a problem for government and then do nothing. Or they can remember the tenets of the 4-Way Test, Part 2 of the Object of Rotary and Article 42.010.3 of Rotary International's Code of Policies in relation to the rights of children and then do their utmost to help eradicate this evil practice. This Resolution provides the Board of Rotary International with the opportunity to take a positive first step to indicate its support for the human rights of all children regardless of race, creed or nationality, and ensure that the Rotary movement can never be criticised for involvement in this unacceptable practice.

                                                              FINANCIAL IMPACT STATEMENT

These resolutions would result in an increase in expenses for RI contingent upon the type and level of support provided to the campaign to raise awareness of the evils of slavery and to remind members of their ethical responsibilities.

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Background notes to COL (2013) Resolution

Submissions on Child Slavery Resolution to the RI Board

 In 2005 at the Rotary GB&I Conference in April, every delegate in Great Britain and Ireland agreed a Motion which called on "Rotarians the world over to campaign to stop the practice of child slavery and to disassociate themselves from all persons and businesses that make use of force labour". The Motion was submitted to the Council on Legislation in April 2007 and accepted.  The Motion was subsequently referred to the RI Board in November 2007.  In its resolution it was stated that the Board "thanks the General Council of Rotary GB&I (Rotary in Great Britain and Ireland) for its interest in a campaign to stop the practice of child slavery and encourages those Rotary Clubs & Districts aware of the existence of such practice to work towards its elimination"

NB:  The Rotary GB&I Motion consisted of two basic issues. The first referred to "Child Slavery" and the need for Rotarians to make every effort to stop the practice; the second referred to the need for Rotarians to consider their own ethical responsibilities and to ensure that they were not themselves involved in the practice. The RI Board's resolution merely touched upon the first issue and failed to address the second issue.

Norwich Memorial Submission (Nov 2008)

Against the background of an ever increasing level of human rights violations against vulnerable children and the disappointment of the above resolution, the Rotary Clubs of Norwich and Norwich St Edmund (District 1080) felt obliged to submit what is known as a "Memorial" which urged the Board of Rotary International to

a)       amend RI's Code of Policies to include the words "and slavery" after "freedom from abuse and violence",

b)       remind members of their ethical responsibilities under Part 2 of the Object of Rotary and RI's Code of Policies,

c)       exhort Clubs to exclude any members involved with persons or businesses that make use of forced labour,

d)       encourage Clubs to support anti-slavery organisations.

At its meeting in January 2009, the RI Board agreed to amend the RI Code of Policies to include the words "and slavery" but sadly rejected the other three requests. In its letter to the Norwich President, the Board stated that the primary reason why it had not approved the campaign to stop the practice of child slavery was "because of RI's commitment to PolioPlus as the association's only corporate project"

Child Slavery Paper to Incoming DGs (April 2009)     

 In April 2009, at the Rotary GB&I Assembly, I produced a  Paper on "Child Slavery" which was signed by all incoming District Governors and District International Service Chairs present. The Paper includes three recommendations

i)                     that Rotary in Great Britain & Ireland (Rotary GB&I) makes every effort to ensure that the negative resolutions of the RI Board on the Norwich Memorial are reversed,

ii)                  that  Rotary GB&I presses for the issue of a Position Statement which would highlight the evils of slavery, remind members of their ethical responsibilities and encourage clubs to support anti-slavery organisations, and

iii)                that Rotary GB&I supports an approach to the Rotary Office at the United Nations with a view to including the topic of "Child slavery" at the next appropriate meeting of Rotary Day at the United Nations.

 This Paper was submitted to RI General Secretary, Ed Futa on 19 April 2009 with the request that it be considered at the next meeting of the Board. I was subsequently advised by the General Secretary that as the Paper was signed by incoming District Governors and not the current Governors, it was not eligible for submission to the Board. I was also asked by Rtn Futa to withdraw the request that the Board remind Rotarians of their ethical responsibilities.

 Rotarian Action Group against Child Slavery

 The RI Board's inaction on all of the above issues led to the formation of a proposed Rotarian Action Group (RAG) against Child Slavery in June 2009. Earlier this year the RI Board  rejected the application of the RAG because it believed that it was an advocacy group not an action group.

 Summary of draft Resolution to COL 2013

The draft Resolution asks the RI Board

 a)       to arrange the production of a Position Statement on "Child Slavery" which will, inter alia highlight the evils of the practice and remind members of their ethical responsibilities.

b)      to include the topic of "Child Slavery" at the next appropriate meeting of Rotary Day at the United Nations.

c)      to give some encouragement to clubs to support the work of those organisations (eg proposed RAG against Child Slavery) whose main aims are the elimination of child slavery and the rescue, rehabilitation and re-integration of children who have been subjected to  slavery and servitude.  

                                                                                                                                          Mark Little

                                                                                                                                          4^th July 2011