Invitation to Action - World Day Against Human Trafficking

Human Trafficking is a Crime against Humanity                                                                         Click Here for PDF

Human Trafficking is a form of modern-day slavery that involves the use of force, fraud, or coercion to exploit another; to obtain some type of labor or a commercial sex act. It is a crime  under both U.S. and international law. It is a crime against humanity. 

Human trafficking dehumanizes and commodifies human beings, depriving those who are  victimized of their dignity, as persons made in the image of God. It denies the person’s basic  human rights: the right to life, security, freedom of movement, and the freedom from torture and  degrading treatment. It is antithetical to the tenets of our faith and the values of this nation.  

In an address on April 11, 2019 the Holy Father Pope Francis, said, [Human trafficking] “constitutes an unjustifiable violation of the freedom and dignity of the victims, constitutive  dimensions of the human being wanted and created by God. This is why it is considered a crime  against humanity. Trafficking seriously damages humanity as a whole, tearing apart the human  family and the Body of Christ.” (Catholic News Service) 

The nature of human trafficking makes it difficult to accurately describe its scope and number its  costs. The National Human Trafficking Hotline reports that, “[d]espite growing awareness about  this crime, human trafficking continues to go underreported due to its covert nature,  misconceptions about its definition, and a lack of awareness about its indicators.” (National  Human Trafficking Hotline). While the 2020 Global Report on Trafficking in Persons estimates  that in 2018 approximately 50,000 people were identified as living in conditions of human  trafficking on any given day, the data only reflects trafficked persons who were in contact with  authorities. It does not reflect the actual prevalence of the crime or the hidden number of victims  of commercial sexual exploitation, forced labor, and forced marriage. The International Labor  Organization estimates that their suffering earns their traffickers approximately 150 billion  dollars annually. What we do know for certain is that human trafficking returns huge profits to its  perpetrators while inflicting incalculable costs on its victims, their families, and society. 

The elimination of human trafficking is a priority issue for the Catholic Church and all people of  good will. Every life is a gift from God and is sacred. Every human being deserves to be  protected and nurtured. We each have a responsibility to fight against the violation and  degradation of our brothers and sisters.  

Those Forced to Migrate are Especially Vulnerable 

Traffickers thrive where vulnerability is high; where people are desperate and their options are  limited or nonexistent. People on the move and recent immigrants are at particular risk of  exploitation by traffickers because of their precarious social and economic circumstances.  

The International Organization for Migration estimates the number of international migrants to  be at least 281 million people. They are refugees, asylum seekers, labor migrants, and those  displaced by conflict or natural disasters. They are fleeing floods, famine, war, violence,  endemic poverty, organized crime, and political corruption. They are both desperate and  resilient. 

The adverse circumstances that force people to flee their homes can lead migrants to be  deceived in exploitative recruitment abroad. Migration routes too often lead migrants into the  hands of organized trafficking networks, exploitative employment, or situations of extortion. The  very status of people as migrants, especially irregular migrants, exposes them to possible  negative legal consequences, including fines, detention, or deportation. “Moreover, irregularity  often leads migrants to work in sectors prone to exploitation, such as in the fishing industry in  South-East Asia, the agricultural sector in Europe, and construction jobs in Northern America.”  (World Migrant Report 2022,Chp 10, 258)  

Immigration and human trafficking are clearly interconnected, especially in the United States.  The U.S. State Department estimates 72% of persons trafficked in the United States each year  are immigrants.” (Human Trafficking Institute) Migrants and immigrants, including children, are  sold for sex and labor and exploited across a range of industries in the United States.  

A recent New York Times report, “Alone and Exploited, Migrant Children Work Brutal Jobs  Across the U.S,” revealed how U.S. companies are exploiting immigrant children.  

The Times spoke with more than 100 migrant child workers in 20 states who described  jobs that were grinding them into exhaustion, and fears that they had become trapped in  circumstances they never could have imagined. . . .  

In town after town, children scrub dishes late at night. They run milking machines in  Vermont and deliver meals in New York City. They harvest coffee and build lava rock  walls around vacation homes in Hawaii. Girls, as young as 13, wash hotel sheets in  Virginia.  

The current situation at the U.S. border with Mexico provides a perfect setting for those who  would exploit desperate people. Sister Tracey Horan, associate director of education and 

advocacy at the Kino Border Initiative, has seen the vulnerability of migrants created by U.S.  border policy.  

At the Kino Border Initiative, we regularly hear stories of families for whom waiting weeks  or months in Mexican border towns has meant being kidnapped, extorted, or abused by  organized crime groups.  

These families are an easy target for traffickers because they are stuck in limbo in an  unfamiliar place and do not have local contacts they can trust. Confusing and constantly  changing U.S. policies make it easier for bad actors to take advantage. 

Sister Mary Jean Doyle, a case manager of the Trafficking Victims Assistance Program,  Catholic Charities, D.C., works directly with immigrant people who have been trafficked. She  cautions,  

It is very important that we understand the issue of migration itself and the dangers it  presents to the promotion of the trafficking of innocent people. Until we understand the  situation of a vulnerable person, how can we possibly attempt to fix the difficulties they  face in becoming whole? 

Cristian Eduardo cautions that no one group or type is immune from becoming vulnerable and  exploited; and as the United States, “We can do better.” As a young man in his early 20s fearing  persecution, Cristian fled from Mexico to Canada where he then found himself trafficked. He  again was trafficked in the U.S. after escaping from Canada. Cristian reminds his audiences that  immigration officials and support organizations often don’t recognize the signs of trafficking in  young adults like him that have “no visible harms.” 

Unfortunately, the root causes of human trafficking, including the significant and unique  vulnerabilities faced by those forced to migrate, have been largely overlooked. In the past, U.S.  anti-trafficking policy has taken a primarily criminal justice approach. While interdiction and  prosecution of traffickers is essential, it alone is not sufficient. If there is any hope of putting an  end to this horrendous crime, government, law enforcement, social service agencies, and anti trafficking advocates must focus on its root causes. Today that means mitigating the risks to  populations most at risk for sex and labor trafficking - immigrants, especially women and  children who are forced to leave their homes. 

Sister Ann Scholz, consultant and director of corporate social responsibility for the SSND  Cooperative Investment Fund, observed,  

If we ever hope to end the horror of human trafficking, we must address its root causes  including forced migration. Those who are forced to flee their homes because of  violence, corruption, poverty, or persecution are easy targets for those who would deny  their dignity and exploit their labor. 

The Project 

Women religious are leaders in efforts to put an end to the recruitment and exploitation of others  by force, fraud, or coercion; to put an end to human trafficking. They educate the public about  the dangers of human trafficking, accompany survivors on their journey to healing, and they  work tirelessly to eliminate the root causes of human trafficking including forced migration. 

Catholic sisters and their colleagues have seen firsthand how human traffickers prey on those  forced to flee their homes by circumstances beyond their control. And they have come to  understand the vulnerabilities created by sometimes inadequate or ineffective U.S. policy and  law. 

U.S. Catholic Sisters Against Human Trafficking (USCSAHT) and the National Advocacy Center  of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd (NAC), faith-based networks that work to end human  trafficking, deplore the increase in human trafficking in the United States and around the world,  some of which results from unprecedented forced migration.  

USCSAHT and NAC are leading a months-long journey of listening, analysis, and action to  address the dangerous nexus between human trafficking and forced migration. Catholic sisters  have a long history of accompanying migrants and those who have been victimized by human  traffickers. They know their strength and their vulnerability. They are prepared to address the  threat human traffickers pose to those forced to flee their homes, and they are committed to  finding practical solutions to this root cause of human trafficking. We hope to provide long-term, systemic solutions that will help to end the scourge of human trafficking by bringing together  women religious ministering on the ground, migrant survivors of human trafficking, and  policymakers.

From the SSND CP Shalom Human Trafficking Committee                                                                         Click Here for PDF

“A particular concern in all ministries is the establishment of a just society… Working toward the enablement of persons and the promotion of human dignity, we contribute to positive systemic change in society.” - SSND Constitution You Are Sent, General Directory #33

School Sisters of Notre Dame work on a variety of issues concerning the preservation of basic human rights and human dignity, including the issue of human trafficking. Human trafficking is a form of modern-day slavery. It is a multi-billion dollar criminal industry that employs force, fraud, and coercion to exploit tens of millions of women, children, and men for profit here and throughout the world. Sadly, human trafficking occurs in every community SSND ministers. We agree with Pope Francis when he describes human trafficking as “a crime against humanity” and “a deep and open wound in the body of Christ and in the body of all humanity, which affects each one of us.”

In anticipation of the World Day Against Trafficking of Persons (7/30) and in support of our CP Province Laudato Si Action Plan (that encourages us to educate, advocate, and act) the CP Shalom Human Trafficking Committee invites you to take time this month for dedicated prayer and (if possible) other action in support of trafficking victims/survivors. We offer the following ideas/resources for your consideration…

Pray – “Prayer impels us to love and inspires us to service.” (YAS, Const 30)

• Download the SSND Prayer for an End to Human Trafficking Card – click here (or request copies (English or Spanish) from the CP Shalom Office).Request/suggest a prayer petition for the Sunday, July 30 liturgy.

Educate – “We are educators in all that we are and do.” (YAS, Const 23)

• To help build awareness and encourage engagement to address human trafficking, the School Sisters of Notre Dame partner with other women religious to sponsor the U.S. Catholic Sisters Against Human Trafficking initiative and the Stop Trafficking! monthly newsletter. Take some time to review and then talk about (or share) a resource from the website or newsletter with another.

Advocate – “We educate, advocate, and act in collaboration with others for the dignity of life and the care of all creation.” (Love Gives Everything, YAS)

• Help stop illegal child labor, labor trafficking, and the exploitation of workers by urging for increased funding for worker protection agencies. Click here to take action.
• Urge Congress to take steps to help protect children online. Click here to take action.
• Click here to see if your state has human trafficking related legislative pending and take action.

Act – “We work actively, especially in our local situations, to eliminate the root causes of injustice in order to realize a world of peace, justice, and love.” (YAS, Const 17)

• Reach out to a local anti-human trafficking coalition, program, or home for survivors and send a card or letter of appreciation and encouragement. Perhaps inquire about ways you can be supportive of their work. If you need help identifying a local group, reach out to the Shalom Office for assistance.

“The Triune God impels us into the heart of the world to be women of peace, hope, and love.” In the spirit of Blessed M. Theresa and Mother M. Caroline, let us reflect this in a special way throughout the month of July for our dear sisters and brothers who have endured (or are at risk of) human trafficking and exploitation.

Thank you for consideration of this request and for all you do to promote justice, peace, and care for our common home in the SSND spirit of Shalom.

Peace,

CP Shalom Human Trafficking Committee - Sisters Susan Adrians, Jane Boos, Vicki Jean Chambers, Ellen Jean Klein, Lucy Nigh, Helen Marie Plourde, Mary Beth Reissen, and Tim Dewane

PS - In the Central Pacific Province, we work on the issue of human trafficking utilizing three paths – awareness building, advocacy, and promoting engagement at the local level. 

Prayer Service                                               CLICK FOR PDF

Opening Song: Choose an appropriate song

Leader: On the first day of January, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, all persons held as slaves within any State...shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free.
–President Abraham Lincoln, Emancipation Proclamation

Reader 1: For 160 years, the United States has promised freedom and liberty. Yet, we know that people are still trafficked within our borders.

Reader 2: Human trafficking and slavery are illegal in every country, but present in every nation on Earth.

Leader: Let us take a moment of silence in solidarity with those who suffer from the profound loss of freedom that is human trafficking.

[Moment of Silence]

Leader: Let us join together in the words of the Psalm:
All: The just cry out, and God hears them and saves them from all their troubles. God is close to the brokenhearted and rescues those whose spirits are crushed.
—Psalm 34: 17-18

Reading: Message of Pope Francis

“Certainly there is a lot of ignorance on the topic of trafficking. But sometimes there also seems to be little will to understand the scope of the issue. Why? Because it touches close to our conscience; because it is thorny; because it is shameful. Then there are those who, even knowing this, do not want to speak because they are at the end of the “supply chain”, as a user of the “services” that are offered on the street or on the Internet...Yes, it takes courage and honesty, when, in our daily lives, we meet or deal with persons who could be victims of human trafficking, or when we are tempted to select items which may well have been produced by exploiting others.

The work of raising awareness must begin at home, with ourselves, because only in this way will we be able to then make our communities aware, motivating them to commit themselves so that no human being may ever again be a victim of trafficking.”
–Pope Francis, February 2018

[Moment of Silence]

Closing Prayers

Leader: For the estimated 40 million women, men and children currently held being trafficked, may freedom be restored to those who have been bought, sold, exploited or kidnapped for the monetary benefit of others.

Response: Bring them hope and freedom.

Leader: For those in bonded labor, in agricultural fields, mines and factories, who have been reduced to tools of production and commodities rather than human beings.

Response: Bring them hope and freedom.

Leader: For children exploited and objectified in the commercial sex industry, that they may be free to play, learn and grow up in freedom and safety.

Response: Bring them hope and freedom.

Leader: For consumers, that we may be aware of how we are complicit when we demand products made by people who are trafficked; and that we may speak and work for justice for all those who are trafficked.

Response: Bring them hope and freedom.

Leader: Let us pray:

All: God of hope and freedom, inspire us to act for justice and bring an end to human
trafficking. Help us to reach every victim of trafficking, to leave no one behind, and to build a world where all are free to live with dignity.

Closing song: Choose an appropriate song

Prayer service courtesy of the Intercommunity Peace & Justice Center • 206.223.1138 •
ipjc@ipjc.org • www.ipjc.org