The Church must unite to fight human trafficking

In message to Talitha Kum, Pope Francis urges anti-trafficking network to continue to “stand alongside victims”

May 27, 2024

Official group photo of the Talitha Kum General Assembly. (Photo: M. Simionati/Talitha Kum, Vatican News)

By Carol Glatz, Catholic News Service
Catholics fighting human trafficking must work together to be truly effective against this “heinous” crime, Pope Francis told an international network of clerics working against human trafficking.

“Human trafficking is a ‘systemic’ evil and, therefore, we can and must eliminate it through a systematic, multi-layered approach,” he said in a May 23 message to the Talitha Network. Kum, who was holding his second general conference. assembly in Sacrofano, near Rome, from May 18 to 24.

Some 153 delegates and participants from 71 countries, all representing the 60 Talitha Kum networks, attended the assembly. The global network celebrated its 15th anniversary since its creation under the aegis of the International Union of Superiors General in 2009.

“Trafficking is fueled by wars and conflicts, feeds on the effects of climate change and socio-economic disparities and takes advantage of the vulnerability of those forced to migrate, as well as the unequal conditions in which they find themselves , especially women and girls. “, the pope wrote.

“Trafficking is a 'business' that disrespects and disregards human dignity, generating enormous profits for those who are unscrupulous,” he wrote.

“Yet we must not be discouraged,” he wrote. “With the power of the Spirit of Jesus Christ and the dedication of so many, we can successfully eliminate it.”

“To be truly effective against this heinous criminal phenomenon, we must be a community,” which is expressed in the assembly’s theme: “Walking Together to End Human Trafficking: Compassion in Action for Transformation “, wrote the pope.

He urged the global network rooted in local churches to continue what it has always done, “to stand with victims, to listen to them, to help them get back on their feet and to act together against trafficking” , in particular by launching calls to remind institutions and governments to “assume their responsibilities in this regard”.

The pope also assured Talitha Kum that he would carefully read “and promote” the final declaration drafted during their assembly.

The three-page statement outlines the network's three priorities for 2025-2030 and reaffirmed its commitment to the priorities from its first assembly in 2019.

Among its new priorities, Talitha Kum is committed to diversifying its membership and expanding its partnerships between “religious leaders, other religions and faith communities, government organizations, NGOs, women and men, youth and old “.

The network “is alive today thanks to the courageous and lasting commitment of the nuns and their collaborators”, we can read. “We see laity, clergy and youth as key to the long-term sustainability of our work to end human trafficking.”

Greater community engagement and broader collaboration will be key to raising awareness, “advocating gender equality and respect for human rights,” sharing best practices and data analysis, and fostering active participation of young people as “leaders of our online campaigns”, the statement said.

Strengthening its “holistic, survivor-centered” approach was another priority, he said. It will seek to be even more “survivor informed and trauma sensitive – listening to their stories, consulting them in decision-making processes and placing them at the heart of our networks”.

The group is committed to promoting “safe and secure spaces/shelters, survivor peer support and survivor-led initiatives,” it said, as well as “establishing spaces for non-judgmental listening, helplines and mobile app reporting.”

Because the complex systems that enable human trafficking “must be dismantled through concrete steps toward social, economic, cultural and political transformation,” he said he would commit to “giving women, children and young people the means to achieve more just and more equitable societies” and “adopt effective strategies to reduce the demand for human trafficking, including through the education of boys and men and through advocacy regular migration routes.

Advocating for the prosecution of traffickers and for effective policies and laws, as well as exposing the risks of online trafficking and social media are also priorities, he said.

Sister Mary T. Barron, superior of the Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of the Apostles and president of the International Union of Superiors General, said in her opening address to the assembly that their “collective efforts to combat this heinous crime” do not reflect mere “social activism; we bring to life a liberation theology that upholds the intrinsic worth of every human being.”

“Our faith is not passive but requires active engagement in the search for justice and the restoration of human dignity,” she said on May 18.

“May the next fifteen years be marked by even greater achievements, as we strive not only to liberate the oppressed but also to dismantle the very systems that perpetuate injustice,” she added.–ucanews.com