It’s a foreign luxury to many around the World.

While issues including human trafficking and slavery can seem like a distant struggle in our daily lives, it’s the decisions we make as western consumers that holds influence over a socially-just future.

That’s the message Maggie and Darryl Patterson are trying to spread.

“We’ve been confronted by statistics of modern day slavery. The Global Slavery Index tells us there are some 35.8 million slaves globally and consumer choices are really where the power lays to change that,” Mrs Patterson explained.

The Pattersons, alongside The Fair Trade Association of Australia and New Zealand, will host a Fair Trade information event tonight at St Saviours Cathedral Hall to ignite change.

The ultimate goal? For Goulburn to achieve status as a Fair Trade City.

“As soon as people are aware that slavery is such a large part of trade then they want to do something about it. It’s just that we don’t know as consumers what the situation is,” Mrs Patterson continued.

“The Fair Trade Association recently conducted a survey asking consumers locally if they were aware slavery was a part of the production line of products and would they still buy it, they said no. Over 80 per cent of respondents would like to support the people suffering.”

While the event is one about spreading information, Mrs Patterson said it was also turning into a campaign launch of sorts.

Goulburn Mulwaree Mayor Geoff Kettle and General Manager Warwick Bennett have expressed their support for the cause.

“Warwick and myself had a meeting with Maggie on Monday and we are preparing a report to put to Council, to get the Councillors opinions,” Cr Kettle told the Post on Wednesday.

“I would hope that this is something we could support. It would make us the first regional Fair Trade city in Australia which is something Goulburn could take a regional lead on.”

SPEAKING tonight on the impact of Fair Trade is local psychologist Caitlin Lance.

Dr Lance grew up on a property just outside of Goulburn. In 2008, she opened a fair trade coffee shop alongside members of her church in Canberra before studying a doctorate of clinical psychology.

She now works on ground zero in Kolkata India with women and children who have survived the torture and trauma of trafficking and slavery.

“Fair trade is something that I’ve been passionate about for a long time and now that I work in India I have more of a clear perspective of the impact of fair trade and the people it directly affects,” Dr Lance explained.

“I work with a combination of children who have been in child labour and also 18-25 year old women and girls who have been rescued from sex trafficking.

“Obviously in Australia we have much better systems in place to look after people… If we start looking at places like India and Africa that’s when we start to see that those systems are not in place and so you get vulnerable people who’ve had some pretty horrific and traumatic experiences and there’s not really many people working and helping them recover.

“What I’ve seen, particularly with the women I work with, is a large part of their recovery is actually getting them employment.

So that’s partly to build their self esteem but it also means they are no longer vulnerable so they aren’t picked on by people and end up back in situations of trafficking and slavery.

I’m seeing more and more just how important it is for women to be empowered through employment but not just any employment, employment that pays a fair wage and that’s where, as westerners, we have something to contribute because we can actually be part of seeing that happen.”

The fair trade event will begin at 6:30pm in St Saviours Hall on Bourke St.

Executive Director of the Fair Trade Association of Australia and New Zealand Chris Hartley will speak alongside Dr Lance.

Two fair trade stalls, Uplift Fair Trade and Destiny Rescue, will be open for locals to have a look for quirky Christmas gifts or to just get an idea of what ethical products are out there.