A young Adelaide woman and member of anti-trafficking group ACRATH says that undertaking an internship in New York with Mercy Global Action has confirmed her belief that young people and faith-based organisations can make a difference to the lives of those trafficked and living and working in slave-like conditions.
Isabel Salter, 22, is undertaking a 10-month internship in New York with Mercy Global Action (MGA), the justice arm and United Nations office of Mercy International Association (MIA).
Ms Salter has embraced every opportunity offered by the internship. MGA has held special consultative status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations (ECOSOC) since 1998. This allows MGA to place items on the ECOSOC agenda, attend UN conferences, and submit oral and written statements.
“My role has involved identifying opportunities to engage with the UN on MGA’s priority justice issues – ‘degradation of earth’ and ‘displacement of people’, participating in issue-based NGO working groups at the UN, assisting with research and drafting processes for MGA publications and position statements, representing MGA at UN conferences, and writing about MGA’s work in our monthly newsletter,” Ms Salter said.
“This experience has solidified my passion for developing and advocating for policies which address the real needs of people. I’ve also learnt a lot about the invaluable role of civil society – especially faith-based organisations – within governance structures such as the UN. They tend to bring a lens of human dignity and compassion that is easily lost in the bureaucracy of UN processes and the political manoeuvring of ambassadors. They also make room for the voices of people with lived experience, which is key to developing effective policy solutions.”
Ms Salter Izzy joined ACRATH (Australian Catholic Religious Against Trafficking in Humans) in South Australia in 2022 after taking on the role of Program Support Coordinator at Young Mercy Links in that state.
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