Newsline: Client investments enable BBT to take stand against human trafficking

[CoBNews <CoBNews@brethren.org>]

Newsline: Church of the Brethren News Service, News Director Cheryl 
Brumbaugh-Cayford, 800-323-8039 ext. 260, cobnews@brethren.org

Client investments enable BBT to take stand against human trafficking

(Jan. 27, 2012) Elgin, IL -- Putting the spotlight on global slavery and 
trafficking: That is what retirement contributions and congregational 
investments through the Church of the Brethren Benefit Trust (BBT) have helped 
achieve through the agency's socially responsible investing initiatives. 

BBT signed on to a January letter urging the US Congress to require large 
companies to enact policies and auditing procedures that can expose and 
eliminate human mistreatment in their global supply chains.

"BBT represents the denomination's positions, as established by Annual 
Conference actions, through its socially responsible investing activities," 
said Steve Mason, director of BBT's socially responsible investing initiatives. 
"Our members and clients have a voice, and today that voice is urging Congress 
and large companies to take significant action against trafficking and slavery."

Through its relationship with the Interfaith Center on Corporate 
Responsibility, an interfaith corporate advocacy organization, BBT has signed 
on to the letter, which is addressed to House of Representatives speaker John 
Boehner and majority leader Eric Cantor. It urges Republican leadership to 
place the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act (HR 2759) at the 
top of the Financial Services Committee's agenda. 

This bill requires companies with a minimum of $100 million in gross receipts 
to report their organization's efforts to address trafficking and slavery to 
the Securities Exchange Commission and on their websites.

The letter reads, "Given trends in globalization and growing concerns regarding 
working conditions, labor issues, human trafficking, and slavery, investors and 
other stakeholders will increasingly call for greater disclosure from companies 
related to their supply chains. We therefore strongly encourage the Republican 
House leadership to support investors, companies, workers, and consumers by 
moving this important legislation forward in an expeditious manner."

Signing on to this letter is another step in BBT's efforts to represent its 
members and clients by bringing human rights matters to the attention of the US 
government and publicly traded companies. In 2011, BBT's work with energy 
company ConocoPhillips helped to persuade the company to review its Human 
Rights Position to address the rights of indigenous peoples occupying areas in 
which ConocoPhillips does business. An Aug. 2010 letter from BBT to President 
Barack Obama urged the US government to support the United Nations Declaration 
on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

For more information about BBT's socially responsible investing projects, visit 
brethrenbenefittrust.org/socially-responsible-investing or contact Steve Mason 
at 800-746-1505 ext. 369 or smason@cobbt.org .

The Church of the Brethren is a Christian denomination committed to continuing 
the work of Jesus peacefully and simply, and to living out its faith in 
community. The denomination is based in the Anabaptist and Pietist faith 
traditions and is one of the three Historic Peace Churches. It celebrated its 
300th anniversary in 2008. It counts some 123,000 members across the United 
States and Puerto Rico, and has missions and sister churches in Nigeria, 
Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, and India.

(Brian Solem, publications coordinator for Brethren Benefit Trust, provided 
this release.)

># # #

>For more information contact:

>Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford
>Director of News Services
>Church of the Brethren
>1451 Dundee Ave., Elgin, IL 60120
>800-323-8039 ext. 260
>cobnews@brethren.org