February 8th is the Feast day of St. Josephine Bakhita (ca.1869-8 February 1947). All who work to end Human Trafficking take Josephine as our model of how to live in hope while in bondage. We pray for the same energy and vision that Josephine had as we work for freedom for all those caught in chains today.
Let us pray: that freedom will come for all victims of Human Trafficking.
The following prayer service was designed for the Walk For Freedom – January 2023 Blessed Sacrament Church, Hollywood, CA with the background South African Apartheid hymn by the Marymount Singers.
Leader: Pope Francis reminds us that: “Human trafficking is a crime against humanity. We must unite our efforts to free victims and stop this crime that has become ever more aggressive, that threatens not just individuals, but the foundational values of society.”
Reader 1: Our adapted Scripture reading is from the Prophet Isaiah. Chapter 58: 6-9 This is the sort of fast that is pleasing to me: Remove the chains of injustice and undo the ropes of the yoke.
Reader 2: Let those who are oppressed go free and break every yoke you encounter.
Reader 1: Share your bread with those who are hungry and shelter those who are experiencing homelessness and poverty.
Reader 2: Clothe those who are naked and don’t hide from the needs of your own flesh and blood.
Reader 1: Do this, and your light will shine like the dawn and your healing will break forth like lightning. The Word of God.
ALL: Thanks be to God
Response to the Reading:
Leader: Human trafficking and slavery are illegal in every country, but present in every nation on Earth. Let us take a moment of silence in solidarity with those who suffer from the chains of human trafficking.
[Time of Silence]
Leader: Let us join together in prayer for those caught in the chains of Human Trafficking
Our response to each petition is: May chains be broken and dignity restored.
For all of the women, men and children who will be trafficked today, we pray… May chains be broken and dignity restored.
For the parents who have lost their children through human trafficking, we pray… May chains be broken and dignity restored.
For children and young people who are being exploited online, we pray… May chains be broken and dignity restored.
For the conversion of heart for those who are traffickers, we pray… May chains be broken and dignity restored.
For all those engaged in education and advocacy to end human trafficking, we pray… May chains be broken and dignity restored.
That we may recognize and safely report human trafficking in our midst, we pray… May chains be broken and dignity restored.
LEADER: Pope Francis reminds us:
“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)
Reader 1: Closing Prayer: God of all peoples, awaken our hearts and deepen our commitment to work for a world where all are free and able to live lives full of hope and dignity. Please help us grow in awareness that you are present in each person and that we are intimately connected to all involved in human trafficking. God of hope and freedom, inspire us in our work to end human trafficking, starting within our own communities. Amen.
Song: “Freedom Is Coming” (Andres Nyberg) Marymount Singers
As we celebrate Human Trafficking Awareness Month once again and #WearBlueDay that took place on Jan. 11, I reflect on the principle of Think Globally, Act Locally.
For the past four years, I have worked as coordinator for the Diocese of Orlando Human Trafficking Task Force and now I am entering new territory as I transition from addressing human trafficking in Central Florida to a national level as the new Director of Communications for the U.S. Catholic Sisters Against Human Trafficking. My role is very different, but the goals are still very similar – raise awareness of this issue, prevent trafficking from happening in the first place and have people take a look at how we play a role in human trafficking, including labor exploitation and our purchasing choices.
Aside from a national level focus, I still volunteer for this cause locally from participating in A21’s Walk for Freedom in October to the Central Florida Human Trafficking Task Force’s Red Sand Event in Orlando, where volunteers pour red sand into the cracks of the sidewalk to raise awareness by posting pictures on social media. The sand represents millions of victims who fall through the cracks due to lack of identification, services, law enforcement etc. There are an estimated 50 million people in human trafficking around the world if you include forced marriage.
Millions of people fall through the cracks with less than 1% of people in the United States who get the services they need to get out of the life. During a Christmas party, I recently spoke with my husband’s aunt, a retired emergency room nurse, who recognized the red flags of human trafficking: A 15-year-old girl with an older woman who spoke for her and had medical conditions that were consistent with someone who was experiencing sex trafficking. Yet when my husband’s aunt went to the doctor on duty with her concerns, his response was, “I don’t have time for that.”
My immediate response upon hearing this story was anger, not toward the trafficker but at this doctor, who is supposed to be committed to the care of others and saving lives. Yet, he was too busy to save the life of a 15-year-old girl. The average life span of a trafficking victim is seven years in the life because if they are not rescued or identified then they may die of a drug overdose, from medical complications or are killed. My anger turned into sadness for this girl who slipped through the cracks of a system that was supposed to help her but failed.
Another example was recently relayed to me when I heard of human trafficking survivor who needed food services and was never connected to the local food pantry. This breaks my heart as the services for human trafficking survivors are what helps them stay out of “the life.” Without resources, they are left without options, hope and the necessities needed to live their lives free from their traffickers who can very easily exploit their vulnerabilities and find themselves right back in “the life.” Soon after, she went missing and was just one more victim who fell through the cracks.
Each of us has a responsibility when it comes to human trafficking, whether that’s to learn the signs to help identify victims, to change the way we purchase products or to use our voice to speak up and create awareness of this issue. There are so many ways we can help and make a difference whether it’s writing to your favorite companies or contacting your legislators for policies to protect survivors and prosecute the buyers and traffickers.
William Wilberforce, a famous abolitionist who was instrumental in abolishing the slave trade in England once said, “We can choose to look the other way, but never again can you say you did not know.”
Together, by doing our own part whether it’s volunteering, educating or using our purchasing power, we can help end modern-day slavery and the exploitation of our brothers and sisters.
Sr. Patricia Daly, a Dominican Sister of Caldwell, New Jersey, for 47 years and a pioneer of corporate responsibility and socially responsible investing, died Dec. 9, 2022. She was 66 years old.
In her decades of advocacy, she worked to hold corporations responsible for environmental degradation, human rights abuses and myriad other issues. Colleagues and friends describe her as fearless and tireless in her efforts, becoming a force in socially responsible investing and waging campaigns through shareholder resolutions, appearances at company annual meetings, and dialogues with corporate chieftains to hold them accountable for their companies’ actions.
“She was an incredible bridge-builder, and she held the respect of many CEOs,” said Sr. Patricia Siemen, North American coordinator for the Dominican Sisters International Confederation and former prioress of the Adrian Dominicans. “She never entered with an attitude of disrespect or trying to prove them wrong. The resolutions were crafted toward solutions, not diatribes. Even though they knew they would be called on the carpet by Pat, they were grateful it was her, and she raised a lot of consciousness among CEOs. She never had a vendetta against them. She just called them into accountability for their corporations.”
Daly’s “decades of work to hold companies accountable for their impacts on people and creation is the stuff of legends,” the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility said in a Dec. 10 statement. Daly and Capuchin Fr. Michael Crosby received the center’s 2017 Legacy Award, which honors those “whose work has provided a strong moral foundation and an enduring record of demonstrated influence on corporate policies,” according to the organization.
The center’s statement quoted Tom Fanning, president and CEO of utility company Southern Company, who called Daly “a dear friend and a powerful partner in helping shape sound policy for the environment. Her intellect, her sharp wit, and caring demeanor served to quickly create an encouraging, common concern for the health of the earth for all her constituents.”
Bill Ford, executive chair of Ford Motor Company, said Daly “was committed to making the world a better place, and she did just that.”
“Sister Pat’s pioneering work in environmental and social responsibility continues to inspire me,” Ford said in a Dec. 13 statement sent to Global Sisters Report. “She was dedicated to keeping the well-being of our planet and the best interests of people at the forefront of issues that American companies and citizens are working to resolve. She was always positive but insistent upon progress and became a friend and advisor to me.”
In our day may justice flourish and peace abound throughout all the nations! (Psalm 72: 7)
We must pray for our brothers and sisters throughout the world for whom justice is simply an illusion. Among these are persons traumatized by the evil of human exploitation, in particular the tragedy of commercial sex and labor trafficking.
January 2023 is National Human Trafficking Awareness Month in the United States. The International Day of Prayer and Awareness Against Human Trafficking and the feast of St. Josephine Bahkita, the patroness of human trafficking survivors, are celebrated on February 8. You are encouraged to focus more deliberately on addressing the tragedy of human trafficking.
There are approximately 50 million children, women, and men caught in the vicious grip of exploitation and human trafficking throughout the world. Nearly double what it was 10 years ago. Although illegal in every country, many countries serve as a source, transit, or destination for this crime. Human trafficking involves the use of force, fraud, or coercion to obtain labor or commercial sex. If the person is a minor, under the age of 18 and is exploited in any way, she or he is considered trafficked. It is a serious crime defined under U.S. Federal Law. Exploitation and human trafficking occur because predators thrive on holding power over and gaining profit from other vulnerable human persons whom they consider objects and property to be bought and sold.
“Today, as in the past, slavery is rooted in a notion of the human person which allows him or her to be treated as an object. Whenever sin corrupts the human heart and distances us from our Creator and our neighbors, the latter are no longer regarded as beings of equal dignity, as brothers or sisters sharing a common humanity, but rather as objects. Whether by coercion or deception, or by physical or psychological duress, human persons created in the image and likeness of God are deprived of their freedom, sold and reduced to being the property of others. They are treated as means to an end.” Pope Francis, World Day of Peace 2015, #4
Thankfully, Pope Francis, world religious leaders, and thousands of others are raising awareness about trafficking and working toward its eradication. Specifically, what can you do to raise awareness and to eradicate human trafficking?
Keep informed about human trafficking locally and nationally. Contact the appropriate authority, security guard, sheriff, local police or law enforcement if you think a person is being exploited.
Check where your groceries, clothes, household items come from. Avoid buying products, which may be produced by exploited and trafficked workers. Wherever possible buy ‘Fair Trade’ and locally produced products. This helps reduce workers exploited through labor trafficking.
Challenge your elected legislators at local, state and federal levels to address root causes of poverty, violence, racism and discrimination in all its forms, especially against women and girls. Insist on human rights-based policies.
Befriend and assist asylum seekers, refugees and migrant workers in your local church or community. Their stories may well reflect exploitation of some form.
Pray for groups involved in supporting trafficked victims – the U.S. Catholic Sisters Against Human Trafficking as well as other non-profit organizations. Offer to volunteer and/or to support them financially.
Celebrate the feast of St. Josephine Bahkita – a former slave – on February 8th, designated as the International Day of Prayer Awareness against human trafficking.
Follow the ‘social media feeds’ of the U.S. Catholic Sisters Against Human Trafficking to keep updated and to get involved whenever possible.
We each have been touched by God’s mercy and compassion and fired by the inspiration of the Gospel. We are called and challenged to accompany, advocate, educate and collaborate with others who strive for justice, in opposition to all forms of human trafficking and exploitation.
Wellness Weekend for Male Human Trafficking Survivors
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE … FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Columbus, Ohio – Twelve men, ages 27 to 57, got the chance to heal from their past trauma and practice some self-care techniques in the first Wellness Weekend for Male Survivors of Human Trafficking Dec. 9-11.
Girls and women are often the targets of human trafficking. However, beneath the surface, men and boys often go unseen and are underserved when it comes to this crime.
USCSAHT Program Director Theresa Flores, Lived Experience Expert and Founder of The SOAP Project, said it is believed that males make up 20-30% of all victims of trafficking in the U.S.
“Once a survivor is no longer being trafficked, his trauma doesn’t end there,” Flores said. “It takes a lifetime of hard work to heal the scars and become thrivers. Many times, male survivors are left out of the trafficking narrative. While there are thousands of victims, there are very few resources to help them heal.”
Every year, thousands of boys and men fall victim to this abhorrent crime. Traffickers will prey on the vulnerabilities of victims such as homelessness and poverty. Estimates vary but boys made up 7% of child sex trafficking reported to the National Center of Missing and Exploited Children and 15% of online enticement cases involved boys. The percentage is even higher for labor trafficking with 556 males in labor trafficking reported to the National Human Trafficking Hotline in 2020 compared to 682 for females.
Once male victims escape their situation, limited resources make the road to recovery even more difficult. U.S. Catholic Sisters Against Human Trafficking partnered with Sisters of Mercy, The SOAP Project and Felician Services, Inc. to bridge the gap and help them on their healing journey.
“Mother Mary was with us providing these vulnerable, yet strong men with the feminine, motherly love that they needed so much,” said Flores. “And Jesus was walking right beside them, providing the male protector essence they needed to restore what was taken from them by other men.”
USCSAHT brought together volunteers from around the country who poured into them and helped them heal from what others have so brutally taken from them. They learned the importance of healing touch by getting massages and facials, came together in harmony with a drum circle, music therapy, and guided meditation, and worked on their physical and mental health with yoga, and sessions on men’s, brain, financial, and chiropractic health. They worked on forgiveness, releasing shame, guilt, anger, and sadness. But most importantly, the retreat helped them create a support group and a sense of community.
The Wellness Weekend offered the retreat completely free to survivors of labor and sex trafficking. They were provided free plane tickets, luxury rooms, tasty and abundant food plus lots of goodies to take home.
“You are the sparkle to my wings,” said the youngest survivor who attended.
“I came not knowing a single person, not getting the therapy I have needed, and am leaving with brothers and the tools on how to heal myself,” said another.
USCSAHT was founded in 2013 by a group of Catholic Sisters committed to ending human trafficking and supporting survivors. They dreamed of creating a national network of resources and support made up of many different congregations and other mission-aligned partners. Today, this member-based organization has grown to include more than 110 congregations of women religious and another 70+ individuals and groups spread throughout the United States. USCSAHT is also the U.S. member of Talitha Kum, an international network of consecrated life working to end human trafficking.
USCSAHT Encourages Students to Educate Youth on Human Trafficking in Video Contest
United States — Students around the United States will have a chance to display their talent, earn cash prizes and educate other youth about human trafficking in a video contest, “What Would You Do?”
U.S. Catholic Sisters Against Human Trafficking is sponsoring the contest to raise awareness, educate and empower students on how to identify and prevent human trafficking. The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children saw a 98 percent increase in online exploitation in 2020. Online enticement reports that 78 percent of reported victims were female, 13 percent male and in 9 percent of reports gender could not be determined.
An estimated 300,000 children are at risk of being trafficked in the U.S. USCAHT hopes to prevent these children from falling prey to predators and plans to have other teens empower and educate other youth by delivering that message themselves.
The deadline for submission is March 30. The video can be created by a group, individual or class and must be under 3 minutes in length. No video production experience is necessary to enter. Cash prizes include $1,000 for first prize; second prize: $750 and Third Prize: $500.
A panel of judges will review video submissions on vote on the winners. Videos may not include graphic material or foul language and contain the National Human Trafficking Hotline: 1-888-373-7888.
U.S. Catholic Sisters Against Human Trafficking is a collaborative, faith-based national network that offers education, supports access to survivor services, and engages in advocacy to eradicate human trafficking.
The time has just changed from daylight savings to standard time for many across the world, and in the northern hemisphere, the days are shorter, darker, and in some regions, colder. World, national and local events seem to add to the darkness and cold as we are inundated with news stories about war, violence, political divisions, hostile rhetoric about the “other,” climate disasters, and those millions who are left out in the cold, both literally and figuratively. All of these have the potential to increase the crime of human trafficking. Often the ones who suffer from this devastating and pernicious crime are being blamed for their own plight. It’s easy for them—and for all who long to help—to become overwhelmed, even to the point of despair.
By contrast, we are beginning the season of Advent, a time of waiting in darkness and hope for the Promised One. The longing is palpable! The visions of a world without weapons of war and flourishing lands, deserts full of blooms, and bright light in the seemingly endless gloom.
Are these promises for our world today, too? What are the signs of hope? When will the oppressed go free? Where is the light? In reflecting on the Scriptural promises, I have become aware that the Promise is both “now” and “not yet.” Our God is both among us and also is coming in fullness. This Advent “in-between time” calls us to participate in bringing the light, the hope, and the promise to fulfillment.
Perhaps a place to begin is to recognize some signs of hope that have become apparent over the past decade or so in the work to end human trafficking. Many more people have become aware of this pressing issue and acknowledge that it is occurring in our world, our nation, and our neighborhoods. So many individuals and groups are now working together and shining a light to raise awareness of this crime, intervene in healing ways, and advocate for just laws and services for those who have been trapped in the vice of criminal enterprises for forced labor and commercial sex. Strides have been made to connect disciplines and businesses, inviting them to bring their expertise to the table so that those affected receive needed treatment in a manner that respects their dignity and does no further harm to them as persons. National and international networks have grown to provide needed resources of credible information, shared expertise, and ways to get help and care for those who suffer from this crime. Many are beginning to see the connections between poverty, forced migration, climate change, discrimination, and other critical social issues and the crime of human trafficking.
Is there more to do? Of course? Can we do better? Certainly! Let us continue to build strong relationships with one another and with those who share a vision of ending human trafficking. Let us strive to be light-bearers, bringers of hope, signs of the Promised One among us in the face of a suffering world.
CLEVELAND, Ohio – Ahead of Black Friday and the holiday shopping season, the Collaborative to End Human Trafficking is reminding customers to choose their products and retailers carefully to avoid contributing to the forced labor trade.
The United Nations, this year, estimated 28 million people around the world, including children, are in forced labor – often called modern slavery – and the number keeps rising. Coffee, cocoa, tobacco, cotton and garments are some of the most common goods produced by child labor, specifically.
Most forced labor traces to Asia and the Pacific, but the UN estimates there are more than 3.5 million cases in the Americas.
Because there is no central reporting system in the U.S., there’s no way to track how many individuals in Cuyahoga County or even Ohio are trafficked each year, according to Kirsti Mouncey, president and CEO of the Collaborative to End Human Trafficking. The organization unites more than 70 agencies to prevent sex and labor trafficking in Cuyahoga County.
But Ohio is among the top states with the highest call volume for help to the National Human Trafficking Hotline, she said.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott recently began bussing immigrants to places such as New York City, Chicago, and Washington DC to draw attention to more traditional cities governed by Democrats. Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida financed the flying of immigrants, many from Communist Venezuela, from Texas to Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts.
This action is appalling and inhumane. Sadly, the tactics are similar to human trafficking, as if the ends justify the means of dehumanizing people. Many traffickers use psychology to keep their victims “enslaved.” Dehumanized, and treated as commodities or political pawns, these are mostly families without passports, who speak a different language, and wear only the clothes on their backs. These migrants are fleeing violence and life-threatening situations. Homelessness, hunger, extreme poverty, and violence are some of the reasons to risk a life-threatening journey to the United States border. Given the conditions of needing to migrate, the luring and promising of food, jobs, housing, etc. can be convincing tactics to persuade someone to board a plane.
This luring, false promises, fraud, emotionally abusive mischaracterization of immigrants, and deception about opportunities are tactics traffickers use. Isolation and total dependency are also tactics of traffickers. There was no communication and care coordination regarding the arriving immigrants by either governor.
There are economic and other reasons for calling these actions unjust and appalling. This truly is a moral issue; this is about who we are as Christians. Because we are all made in the unique image and likeness of God, and we are all called to welcome the stranger. “When I was an immigrant, you welcomed me.”
Immigrants have inherent dignity, a dignity given to them by God our creator. They are also a result of the incarnation, the brothers and sisters of Jesus. Therefore, they have shared membership in our society and our Church because of their relationship with Jesus Christ. We are a people of faith. Believing in the Trinity, the image and likeness of the Trinity means that we are relational, a community, personal, mutual, inclusive, and we are an accompanying people.
The question, “Who is my neighbor?” is the question we are asked on a daily basis. Our neighbor is the person God puts in front of us. Our neighbor is the person in need. Compassion and mercy call us to reach out to the immigrant and to love our neighbor as ourselves. Philippians also teaches us that we are citizens of a heavenly kingdom and that there are laws greater than the laws of any country. Yes, laws are important but laws can also break people rather than help people.
I have many people that say to me, “But Sister, they are illegal.” God does not make anyone illegal or illegitimate. I do not know about you, but sometimes I break the law by speeding. Sometimes I do not catch that green light that has turned yellow and then is all of a sudden red. Now, maybe that never happens to you. My reasons for speeding are not the same reasons that immigrants leave their homes. They are doing it to save their children. Migrants are doing it because God is calling them to live out their God-given dignity and shared membership. The law is breaking them. Moreover, why is the law breaking them? It is because our immigration system is broken, antiquated, and needs to be fixed.
United States Catholic Conference of Bishops Conference in their statements on immigration calls us to radical hospitality, to welcome, and to take risks out of love. In the words of Pope Francis, “If we want security, then let’s give security, if we want life, then let us give life, if we want opportunities, then let us provide opportunities.” Our American values call us to human rights, liberty, and the international common good. Jesus came to liberate the captives and set free the oppressed.
Let us pray for all our brothers and sisters who are in the shadows, silenced, and oppressed, who if they are sent back to their country of origin, would be sent back to be killed, raped, or to be forced to be part of gangs. Let us pray to avoid complicity in the tactics of human traffickers and the conditions of human trafficking. Let us pray for the grace to know the needs of our brothers and sisters and to take the crucified down from their crosses.
ST. LOUIS, MO – U.S. Catholic Sisters Against Human Trafficking hosted its Second Annual Human Trafficking Conference with nationally renowned speakers and survivor leaders, who shed light on many of the dark issues surrounding the exploitation of individuals Oct. 26-28 in St. Louis, MO.
This year’s conference theme, “Weaving Community, Building Capacity, Affecting Change,” featured speakers from national organizations dedicated for their efforts to address human trafficking. They included Lina Nealon from the National Center on Sexual Exploitation, Dr. Mandy Sanchez, World Without Exploitation, and Russ Tuttle from the STOP Trafficking Program.
“The annual USCSAHT conference afforded members and guests an opportunity to reconnect with friends and colleagues, to share ideas, to exchange information, and to learn more about human trafficking,” said Executive Director Katie Boller Gosewisch.
This year’s conference featured talks and breakout sessions including: the Demand for Sex and Labor Trafficking, LGBTQ+ and Human Trafficking, Men’s Role in Trafficking, Ethical Representation in Working with Survivors, Pornography and Trafficking, Advocacy 101, Cybersafety, Familial Trafficking, The Consumer’s Role in Trafficking, Trauma Informed Care, Migrants/Refugees and Trafficking, Direct Support Services, the Equality Model and more.
Attendees had the option to attend the conference in-person or on-demand via video recordings following the conference, which was held at the Sheraton Westport Chalet, St. Louis.
USCSAHT was founded in 2013 by a group of Catholic Sisters committed to ending human trafficking and supporting survivors. They dreamed of creating a national network of resources and support made up of many different congregations and other mission-aligned partners. Today, this member-based organization has grown to include more than 110 congregations of women religious and another 70+ individuals and groups spread throughout the United States. USCSAHT is also the U.S. member of Talitha Kum, an international network of consecrated life working to end human trafficking.
Keynote Speakers and Presenters included: Dr. Mandy Sanchez (World Without Exploitation), Lina Nealon (National Center on Sexual Exploitation), Terry Coonan (Florida State University), Russ Tuttle (STOP Trafficking Program), Sr. Anne Victory (HM), Peter Quillotine, Theresa Flores, Dr. Kim Hogan (The University of Southern Mississippi State), HEAL Trafficking, Alicia Cohen, Survivors of Human Trafficking and more.
As we celebrate Human Trafficking Awareness Month once again and #WearBlueDay that took place on Jan. 11, I reflect on the principle of Think Globally, Act Locally.
In our day may justice flourish and peace abound throughout all the nations! (Psalm 72: 7)
Columbus, Ohio – Twelve men, ages 27 to 57, got the chance to heal from their past trauma and practice some self-care techniques in the first Wellness Weekend for Male Survivors of Human Trafficking Dec. 9-11.
United States — Students around the United States will have a chance to display their talent, earn cash prizes and educate other youth about human trafficking in a video contest, “What Would You Do?”
The time has just changed from daylight savings to standard time for many across the world, and in the northern hemisphere, the days are shorter, darker, and in some regions, colder. World, national and local events seem to add to the darkness and cold as we are inundated with news stories about war, violence, political divisions, hostile rhetoric about the “other,” climate disasters, and those millions who are left out in the cold, both literally and figuratively. All of these have the potential to increase the crime of human trafficking. Often the ones who suffer from this devastating and pernicious crime are being blamed for their own plight. It’s easy for them—and for all who long to help—to become overwhelmed, even to the point of despair.
