Pope Francis held a workshop at the Pontifical Academies of Sciences and Social Sciences at the Vatican on November 2-3 to study the problem of human trafficking at the behest of women religious.
The Sisters had asked the Pope to grant a worldwide day of prayer and fasting to raise awareness about the issue of human trafficking.
Sister Lucy van Kessel PBVM, coordinator of Australian Catholic Religious against Trafficking in Humans (ACRATH) spoke to The Record:
“There were a number of high profile people from around the world at this gathering,” she said.
“The global day of prayer has partly come out of the workshop and I personally think it’s a very good idea.”
Although it hasn’t been confirmed yet, it has been suggested that the global day of prayer and fasting is to take place on February 8, 2014 the feast day of St Josephine Bakhita; a slave from Sudan who escaped captivity, found freedom in Italy and became a nun.
“We need to raise more awareness of the extent of trafficking,” Sister Lucy said.
She defines trafficking as people who are coerced and deceived against their will and as part of ACRATH, a national group of religious and lay people who seek to provide education and raise community awareness about trafficking in humans, Sister Lucy works to ensure that the needs of the trafficked people are met.
“ACRATH helps them with retraining, access to financial compensation, health care, accompaniment, walking along side them and other needs,” Sister Lucy said.
“We also focus on networking with like minded organisations in Australia and the Asia Pacific region and internationally to advocate for stronger measures to address human trafficking.”
In addition to advocating for stronger measures ACRATH also aids victims of human trafficking through the legal process, including accompanying them to court and gaining compensation.
However, Sister Lucy also faces the challenge of finding the people who have been affected by trafficking and getting them to prosecute.
“We’ve had over 300 cases and only 16 prosecutions because people are afraid,” she said.
“Prosecution is only 16% across the world and it’s very poor compared to the crime that’s actually going on.” Sister Lucy said that in the past the main issue was sex trafficking but she feels that labour trafficking also needs awareness, by addressing the demand for labour and supply.
Sister Lucy said that in order to curb the growing problems of labour trafficking issues of poverty should be addressed and people in less developed countries should be given a just wage.
“In a report from Rome [it said] 20 to 29 million people are trafficked worldwide,” Sister Lucy said.
“68% are held in forced labour, 22% face forced sexual exploitations and 10% face state imposed labour, by that I mean the children in Uzbekistan are forced to go out into the cotton fields instead of going to school.”
Despite the grim statistics Sister Lucy agrees with Sister Eugenia Bonetti who has asked the Pope to promote a ‘culture of respect.’
“If we follow Jesus’ teachings and have respect for following the Gospel values it is possible to have a culture of respect and counter human trafficking,” Sister Lucy said.
“Jesus was compassionate, welcomed those most in need such as the children and He didn’t judge others. I know a lot of good people doing a lot of good work,”
On November 23 The Australian Christian Women WA held their latest campaign initiative against human trafficking called Walk for Freedom.
The Australian Christian Women WA is a Charismatic movement based on the Assemblies of God.
“ACRATH works across religions,” Sister Lucy said.
“They work with us in a respectful way to fight against human trafficking.”