(ZENIT News / Washington, 02.01.2024).- We must unite to identify and address conditions that lead to human trafficking and promote efforts to prevent it, says Bishop Mark J. Seitz of El Paso. The Catholic Church observes the International Day of Prayer and Awareness Against Human Trafficking on February 8, the feast day of Saint Josephine Bakhita, the patroness of human trafficking survivors. Abducted in the 1870s in Sudan at the age of seven, Saint Josephine endured slavery and trafficking. Eventually freed from captivity in Italy, she joined the Canossian Daughters of Charity and was canonized by Saint John Paul II in 2000.
Pope Francis has said that human trafficking “disfigures dignity” because exploitation and subjugation limit freedom and turn people into objects to use and discard while the system of trafficking profits from this injustice and wickedness. Bishop Seitz, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Migration, echoed Pope Francis’ call to uphold human dignity and underscored the need for collective action:
“It is incumbent upon all of us to unite in promoting efforts that prevent the evil of human trafficking. I join our Holy Father in inviting the faithful and all people of good will to uphold and affirm human dignity and grow in solidarity with those who are vulnerable to exploitation and have been impacted by this terrible evil of modern-day slavery. Inspired by Saint Josephine’s life, may we accompany them in the pursuit of justice. We also recognize the important role of governments in addressing the conditions that lead to trafficking, and we remain committed to working with our own government and fellow members of civil society to develop and implement anti-trafficking efforts.”
As part of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) ongoing public policy advocacy efforts, the Committee on Migration has supported calls for legislation and policies that enhance protections for victims and address the conditions that result in trafficking. Most recently, the committee has expressed its support for the Frederick Douglass Trafficking Victims Prevention and Protection Reauthorization Act of 2023 (H.R. 5856) and urges Congress to pass the bill without further delay.
To mark the International Day of Prayer and Awareness Against Human Trafficking, the USCCB will collaborate with The Catholic University of America (CUA) to co-host a Mass and panel discussion on human trafficking. More information on the event, including registration to view the livestream may be found on the Justice for Immigrants campaign’s Saint Bakhita webpage.
