Slavery Has Not Ended. It Just Has a Different Name.

This post is in honor of a very brave woman. Thanks for your nice message and you are in my prayers.

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Our Community (the Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity) is a member of the Franciscan Federation. At their annual conference last July, the representatives made a resolution that we would work to eliminate human trafficking, for the rescue and safety of the victims, and prosecution of perpetrators (2011 Resolution).

Fact: There are more slaves now than at any other time in history. It just has a different name: human trafficking. It is illegal under both US and International Laws.


There is something that we can do about it.

http://www.worldchristianministries.org/news.asp?newsid=8056

According to the Polaris Project,

• "Human trafficking is a crime that often goes underreported due to its covert nature, various misconceptions about its definition, and a lack of awareness about its indicators on the local level
• "Human trafficking is a market-based economy that exists on principles of supply and demand. It thrives due to conditions which allow for high profits to be generated at low risk.
• "Human trafficking is prevalent in many countries around the world
• "Cases of human trafficking have been reported in all fifty states of the United States
• "Victims are trafficked for a wide variety of purposes, such as commercial sex, agricultural work, or housekeeping, yet they all share the loss of one of our world’s most cherished rights—freedom.
• "There is no one consistent face of a trafficking victim. Trafficked persons can be rich or poor, men or women, adults or children, and foreign nationals or US citizens.
• "There is no one consistent face of a trafficker. Traffickers include a wide range of criminal operators, including individual pimps, small families or businesses, loose-knit decentralized criminal networks, and international organized criminal syndicates." ((http://www.polarisproject.org/).

There are misconceptions about trafficking. Here's the truth:

• It does not only happen to immigrants.
• It does not always involve physical force.
• Consent of the victim is not important to perpetrators. Neither is payment.(http://www.polarisproject.org/). 

Click here to view online or download a PDF of how to identify human trafficking victims.
To understand the mindsets of trafficking victims, click here to view online/download a PDF.
Click here to view online/download a PDF of key numbers to call in the United States if you suspect that someone is being trafficked.

One final thing. I believe in the power of prayer, and I want to provide some prayer resources for you:

http://www.franfed.org/PeaceJusticePrayerServiceHT.html
http://www.ipjc.org/links/2012TraffickingPrayer.pdf
http://www.ipjc.org/links/TraffickingPrayer.pdf

We can also pray for the intercession of St. Josephine Bakhita. A group in Oregon, USA, is seeking Vatican approval for her to be patron saint of slavery and human trafficking victims. Click here to read about the cause.

http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/qc/pub/traite-trafficking/traite-trafficking-eng.htm