Pope Francis has some consistent themes, concerns that he raises from time to time. One deals with human trafficking. It's no surprise, therefore, to read this month's universal prayer intention, entrusted to the Apostleship of Prayer around the globe: "That human trafficking, the modern form of slavery, may be eradicated."
Human trafficking takes place on a daily basis throughout the world. No country is immune, including Canada. Human trafficking is basically the commercialization and exploitation of human beings for profit. Pope Francis said on December 12, 2013 that human trafficking is "a crime against humanity," an increasingly aggressive crime which threatens individuals and the basic values of society and of international security and justice, "to say nothing of the economy, and the fabric of the family." He and many others have described trafficking as the worst example of slavery in the twenty-first century.
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime estimates that roughly 21 million people, often very poor and vulnerable, are victims of trafficking for sexual exploitation, forced labour and begging, illegal organ removal, domestic servitude, forced marriages, illegal adoption and other forms of exploitation. Sixty percent are women and children and they often suffer abuse and unspeakable violence. On the other hand, the traffickers and pimps gain plenty. It's estimated that the annual profit is $32 billion a year. It's the third most profitable "business" after drugs and arms trafficking.
Fortunately, the Christian churches are on the right side of history, standing with and for the victims. The Pontifical Council of Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People is one of the bodies responding. The Church doesn't just speak and pray. For many years, the Church, and in particular the congregations of women religious, have been working in many parts of the world to raise awareness of this evil, to prevent trafficking, to denounce traffickers, and, above all, to help, protect and liberate the victims.
The words and actions of Francis have given the problem a heightened profile. His 2015 message for World Day of Peace was, "No Longer Slaves, but Brothers and Sisters." His message deals with trafficking and the fact that its victims "are deprived of freedom and are forced to live in conditions akin to slavery." Its victims are treated as means to an end. They have been deprived of their freedom. Their humanity is rejected. The traffickers treat them as things to be bought and sold.
There was a successful effort this past summer to heighten awareness of the issue. The Faith Alliance to end Human Trafficking [1] arose from the work of faith communities, especially women religious in the Toronto area, to use the July and August Pan Am and Parapan Am Games as a way to make more people aware of the stark reality of human trafficking and its prevalence here in Ontario.
Using a model introduced at the London Olympics in 2012, Faith Alliance prepared an oversized GIFT Box. Their introductory press release described the GIFT Box as, "a walk-in piece of public art that draws people in with the same false promises traffickers use to entice their victims. Once inside the Box, the truth is unwrapped as visitors are introduced to the devastating realities of human trafficking, told through the voices of those who have lived experience." The Box was hosted on the grounds of the Cathedral Church of St. James in downtown Toronto.
GIFT Box Toronto was a success and made several thousand people more aware of the issue of trafficking and it presence in this country. Faith Alliance plans to take time to reflect on what happened and to look at what comes next. Coming out of this effort, a group of Roman Catholic religious orders and Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Toronto, will spend a day together later this fall, to look at the way forward. Faith Alliance and other church groups are putting flesh on the prayer intention from Pope Francis. Let's pray for groups such as this. More to the point, let's pray for the victims of contemporary slavery.