Human Trafficking Prevention Month

 Human Trafficking is a Crime against Humanity

Human Trafficking is a form of modern-day slavery that involves the use of force, fraud, or coercion to exploit another; to obtain some type of labor or a commercial sex act. It is a crime under both U.S. and international law. It is a crime against humanity.

Human trafficking dehumanizes and commodifies human beings, depriving those who are victimized of their dignity, as persons made in the image of God. It denies the person’s basic human rights: the right to life, security, freedom of movement, and the freedom from torture and degrading treatment. It is antithetical to the tenets of our faith and the values of this nation.

In an address on April 11, 2019 the Holy Father Pope Francis, said, [Human trafficking]“constitutes an unjustifiable violation of the freedom and dignity of the victims, constitutive dimensions of the human being wanted and created by God. This is why it is considered a crime against humanity. Trafficking seriously damages humanity as a whole, tearing apart the human family and the Body of Christ.” (Catholic News Service)

Those Forced to Migrate are Especially Vulnerable
Traffickers thrive where vulnerability is high; where people are desperate and their options are limited or nonexistent. People on the move and recent immigrants are at particular risk of exploitation by traffickers because of their precarious social and economic circumstances.

The International Organization for Migration estimates the number of international migrants to be at least 281million people. They are refugees, asylum seekers, labor migrants, and those displaced by conflict or natural disasters. They are fleeing floods, famine, war, violence, endemic poverty, organized crime, and political corruption and the effects of climate change. They are both desperate and resilient. 

The adverse circumstances that force people to flee their homes can lead migrants to be deceived in exploitative recruitment abroad. Migration routes too often lead migrants into the hands of organized trafficking networks, exploitative employment, or situations of extortion. The very status of people as migrants, especially irregular migrants, exposes them to possible negative legal consequences, including fines, detention, or deportation. “Moreover, irregularity often leads migrants to work in sectors prone to exploitation, such as in the fishing industry in South-East Asia, the agricultural sector in Europe, and construction jobs in Northern America.” (World Migrant Report 2022,Chp 10, 258) 

Immigration and human trafficking are clearly interconnected, especially in the United States. Polaris estimates 77 percent of persons trafficked in the United States each year are immigrants (Polaris Analysis of 2021 Data from the National Human Trafficking Hotline, pg. 8 of 29). Migrants and immigrants, including children, are sold for sex and labor and exploited across a range of industries in the United States. A recent New York Times report, “Alone and Exploited, Migrant Children Work Brutal Jobs Across the U.S,” revealed how U.S. companies are exploiting immigrant children. 

Unfortunately, the root causes of human trafficking, including the significant and unique vulnerabilities faced by those forced to migrate, have been largely overlooked. In the past, U.S. anti-trafficking policy has taken a primarily criminal justice approach. While interdiction and prosecution of traffickers is essential, it alone is not sufficient. 

If there is any hope of putting an end to this horrendous crime, government, law enforcement, social service agencies, and anti-trafficking advocates must focus on its root causes. Today that means mitigating the risks to populations most at risk for sex and labor trafficking -immigrants, especially women and children, who are forced to leave their homes.

The Project Women religious are leaders in efforts to put an end to the recruitment and exploitation of others by force, fraud, or coercion; to put an end to human trafficking. They educate the public about the dangers of human trafficking, accompany survivors on their journey to healing, and they work tirelessly to eliminate the root causes of human trafficking including forced migration.

Catholic sisters and their colleagues have seen firsthand how human traffickers prey on those forced to flee their homes by circumstances beyond their control. And they have come to understand the vulnerabilities created by sometimes inadequate or ineffective U.S. policy and law. 

U.S. Catholic Sisters Against Human Trafficking(USCSAHT) and the National Advocacy Center of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd(NAC), faith-based networks that work to end human trafficking, deplore the increase in human trafficking in the United States and around the world, some of which results from unprecedented forced migration. 

Breaking the Link

USCSAHT and NAC are leading a months-long journey of listening, analysis, and action to address the dangerous nexus between human trafficking and forced migration. Catholic sisters have a long history of accompanying migrants and those who have been victimized by human traffickers. They know their strength and their vulnerability. They are prepared to address the threat human traffickers pose to those forced to flee their homes, and they are committed to finding practical solutions to this root cause of human trafficking. With this project, we hope to provide systemic solutions that will help to end the scourge of human trafficking by bringing together women religious on the ground, migrant survivors of human trafficking, and policymakers.

Join the Journey 

We hope you will join us on this journey to address human trafficking caused by forced migration. Collaboration among non-governmental organizations, government and communities is essential if we are to develop comprehensive solutions that protect people, deter perpetrators and prevent future instances of human trafficking.  Together we can create a world where exploitation is eliminated, and every person can live free with security, dignity and respect.