After more than a year in her new role fighting a global humanitarian cause, Fiona Berkin is laying down the challenge for employers and employees to join the crusade. A successful corporate leader, who spent 22 years with Morris Corporation, a hospitality and facilities management provider specialising in resources sector camp services, Ms Berkin is using her leadership skills to help save some of the world’s most vulnerable children.
Since starting as CEO at Destiny Rescue in June 2019, Ms Berkin (pictured) is leading the non-profit international organisation in the fight against global child trafficking and sexual exploitation. One of the ways Destiny Rescue is helping the fight is through ‘Workplace Giving’ – an opportunity for employees to play a part in children being rescued from sexual exploitations.
Workplace Giving is when Employees make small, regular donations through their pre-tax pay; together making a difference in the world and saving tax.
AREEA caught up with Ms Berkin recently to learn more about Workplace Giving and its benefits, and to get the latest on Destiny Rescue’s work through the COVID-19 pandemic.
(Warning: some readers may find parts of this article sensitive / distressing)
Thanks for joining us, Fiona. Can you tell us more about Workplace Giving?
Workplace Giving (WPG) is a joint relationship between employers, employees and charities. Individuals contribute a small portion of their pre-tax salary to charity and receive the tax benefit straight away rather than waiting until the end of financial year. There are many benefits for all stakeholders. The organisation will often match the employee’s donations.
Do you see Workplace Giving as the next big trend for social responsibility in the corporate world?
I am certainly hoping so. This is my individual passion and purpose. I think it will be of strategic significance for corporates in the next few years following COVID. I think COVID highlights the need for purpose, community and social responsibility. I genuinely believe there is a competitive advantage in corporate philanthropy. Many corporates are developing a conscience and as a result increasing value in philanthropy and their organisation.
Have you seen a swing towards increased Workplace Giving in recent years?
No, not necessarily, and that needs to change. Currently, less than 300,000 employees give through WPG of a workforce of approximately 15 million. There is huge opportunity for corporates to deliver untold benefits and become trailblazers by leading the way.
With many companies more aware of their social responsibilities – is this an area you feel will become embedded in company values?
I would like to hope that companies look long and hard at their purpose, not just delivering on profits, but genuinely why they really exist and how their purpose aligns with their social responsibility. I know that organisations doing this have a greater chance of survival in the new world, post COVID.
What are the benefits for companies becoming involved in Workplace Giving?
For the employer it reduces turnover, increases engagement and attraction of employees, drives positive culture and is a low-cost high impact way to invest in community. For the employee it provides higher job satisfaction, resulting in higher productivity and long tenure. Employees feel proud of their employer and it gives them greater purpose at work. It is also tax effective giving. For the charity it provides sustainable regular giving and allows them to move away from disliked forms (by the public) of fundraising.
Can you tell us about any significant examples of Workplace Giving?
JB Hi-Fi, one of the pioneer companies initiating WPG have raised over $17 million (up to 2018) for their charity partners. The team has undertaken a project to identify the contribution WPG makes to the company beyond the cultural value, finding an incredible $8 million per year saving on recruitment and training because of the increased employee engagement and retention.
Through Destiny Rescue, Workplace Giving can help rescue children from sexual exploitation. Tell us how and why the global health pandemic of COVID-19 has changed the Online Sexual Exploitation of Children (OSEC)?
In the countries in which Destiny Rescue operates, a lot of establishments (such as bars, etc, that are a shopfront for a brothel) where children are prostituted have shut because of COVID-19. Some families are dependent on the income so they are finding other ways of selling the services of their children. Online has a multitude of opportunities easily accessible. Suddenly they have an international audience with an increased number of paedophiles to sell to.
Do you have any statistics / trends which outline how COVID-19 has changed sexual exploitation and trafficking of children?
We do not have concrete statistics because it’s too early, but we do know there is an increase in online activity. Research by IJM in the Philippines (known as the world hotspot for OSEC) which was completed in early 2020, outlines that Australia is in the top three countries for customers. The median age of victims is 11, with around 40% being younger than that. More than 80% of the time the perpetrators of the abuse were their parents or relatives. We know that a main driver of children being sexually abused is the economic status of the family. COVID is causing so much hardship economically for families in developing nations.
Can you go into more depth on some specific cases?
In February, British Intelligence intercepted child pornography and traced it back to the Philippines. A joint taskforce was set up with the NBI (the Philippines Federal Police Force) and Destiny Rescue to find and rescue a two-year-OLD toddler at the centre of the operations. Destiny Rescue agents provided the transactional evidence to make the case against the perpetrators. In this instance it was the stepfather (with the mother watching) of the child who was offering to abuse him live on the internet for money. Destiny Rescue agents gained his trust and after a very complex rescue, the parents were arrested. There are many more cases like this happening right now and even more that go uninterrupted.
What is the role of Destiny Rescue and how has it adapted during COVID-19 keep children safe from sexual exploitation and trafficking?
Destiny Rescue recover children from Sexual Exploitation in three main activities. Covert rescues are hidden in secrecy and the girls are smuggled away to safety. Recently, Destiny Rescue has been executing more police raids on establishments with their law enforcement partners in each country. This results in the venue being closed down, arrests of the perpetrators and rescue of the children. In addition, Destiny Rescue works in the area of prevention, a good example of this being agents at our Nepal Border Stations intercepting children being trafficked across borders. We are currently looking to fund seven more stations.
In some countries it’s been difficult to continue rescues, and in these places we are researching OSEC detection. Most children are offered through Facebook now. In Nepal the border between India is open so it’s business as usual. In the Philippines, our agents have the ability to move outside the harsh COVID restrictions to assist the police. The OSEC problem is widespread though, and it’s hard to pinpoint when it is in people’s homes.
What have been the main challenges for Destiny Rescue through COVID-19?
In some countries the venues for prostitution have been shut down and COVID restrictions stop agents moving around. In other countries, the children exploitation has increased, and we can’t keep up. For example, in the Dominican Republic Destiny Rescue has recently broken a string of child marriage cases. The main challenge is being able to adapt into OSEC environments which means new, and at times, unchartered training against an even more agile enemy.
Learn more about Destiny Rescue, sign-up to its mailing list and/or make a donation via destinyrescue.org.au.
