World Day against Trafficking in Persons is near – 30 July 2017 is the day.
IBVM Members: make it a day to renew our personal commitment and take action. Remember GC’14.
SPOT THE SIGNS. Would you recognize a trafficked person? Awareness can save lives. Remember that persons are trafficked all around us, in every country.
REPORT A CONCERN. This could be a positive action for World Day against Human Trafficking in Persons. Every country and usually every city has a number which you can call if you have a concern. If you do not already know the contact number, ask your province contact person for Anti-Human Trafficking.
An essential step in helping to end Trafficking in persons is to educate ourselves about the crime and share information. The 2017 Trafficking in Persons Report was published recently by the US Department of State. You can browse through the different parts of the Report at 2017 Trafficking in Persons Report (TIP). You can check how your own country is doing.
Human trafficking is a multi-billion-dollar industry, second only to the drug trade in financial gain and is estimated to involve around 21 million people. It is an industry which feeds off poverty, lack of education and desperation. No country is immune from the inroads of slavery – some send slaves around the world and others receive, but all are involved.
The UN General Assembly adopted the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children in 2000. This was a significant milestone in international efforts to stop the trade in people. While most countries signed the protocol, the reality is that few criminals are caught and fewer are convicted.
Pope Francis called human trafficking “a form of slavery, a crime against humanity, a grave violation of human rights, and an atrocious scourge” and urged all of us to take a stand against this evil which denigrates and destroys so many people, including millions of children
Read the reflection World Day against Trafficking 2017 written by Libby Rogerson ibvm from Australia.
