Ex-footballer tackles slavery
WA mining magnate Andrew Forrest has recruited former WA footballer turned academic Clancy Rudeforth to bolster his bid to end global slavery.
Mr Rudeforth has moved to the Pakistani city of Islamabad to work with the Walk Free Foundation, established in 2012 by Mr Forrest and his wife Nicola.
The lawyer, who captained Claremont to the 2011 WAFL premiership, applied for 150 jobs worldwide after finishing two master's degrees in international affairs this year. He then contacted Mr Forrest with a view to joining Walk Free and last week started work in a pilot program with a major Pakistani textile manufacturer which volunteered to help tackle slavery.
Mr Rudeforth admitted there were dangers in his new life, but was adamant there could be a shift in business values relating to slave labour if people were willing to take risks to fight it.
"It is extremely ambitious, but for me that's inspiring and achievable given their influence and interest," he said of the Forrests' bold mission as he began his initial six-week stint.
"I understand the risks but I think that's all part of it.
Mr Rudeforth said there was an estimated two million people in Pakistan enslaved in some form and Walk Free was expected to release its second annual Global Slavery Index, highlighting the extent of the problem, later this month.
His passion for an "international life" was sparked by a trip to Africa when aged 22. Now 31, the former West Coast rookie recently finished a six-month consultancy posting at the White House.
Mr Rudeforth also said a senior police officer in Islamabad had emailed him in Perth to claim him as the "star recruit" for the Pakistan Markhors, one of the new teams in the rapidly growing AFL Asia. "I'll be playing on the wing . . . and hoping there's no (unexploded) mines on the wing," he said.
