ONE Magazine September 2023

FIGHTING A CRIME AGAINST HUMANITY

The church combats human trafficking

COVER STORY

Targeted Twice

Protecting vulnerable families in Armenia text by Gohar Abrahamyan with photographs by Nazik Armenakyan

FEATURES

10 26

32

A Crime Against Humanity

The church takes on the fight to end human trafficking by Olivia Poust

Vulnerable by War

Polish Catholic charity offers safety to Ukrainian refugees text by Claudia Ciobanu with photographs by Konstantin Chernichkin

A Letter From the United Nations by Sister Winifred Doherty, R.G.S. with photographs by Michael Scott

Drawn by Illusion

The lure of false promises of prosperity text by Hikma A. Abdulmejid

‘Maiden, arise’

Rescuing trafficking victims in Lebanon text by Arzé Khodr

with photographs by Raghida Skaff

DEPARTMENTS

4

one 38

16 24 CNEWA.org CNEWA1926 CNEWA

Connections to CNEWA’s world

The Last Word

t Sister Marie Claude Naddaf, R.G.S., in Beirut comforts a trafficking survivor.

6 CNEWA CNEWA1926

Front: Armine, a single mother in Armenia, poses with one of her three sons.

Back: Rem Parshkova, whose husband died in the Nagorno-Karabakh war in 2020, relies on the support of Caritas Armenia to care for her three children and elderly mother.

Photo Credits

Front cover, pages 3 (upper right), 6, 16-17, 19-23, 38, back cover, Nazik Armenakyan; pages 2, 9, 32-33, 35-37, Raghida Skaff; page 3 (top), CNS photo/Paul Haring; pages 3 (upper left), 10-15, Konstantin Chernichkin; pages 3 (lower left), 28-29, 31, Abenezer Israel; pages 3 (lower right), 24, Michael Scott; page 4, Oleksandr Savranskiy; page 5, CNEWA Canada; page 8, Fethi Belaid/AFP via Getty Images; pages 26-27, Oliver Weiken/picture alliance via Getty Images; page 30, Valeria Ferraro/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images.

ONE is published quarterly. ISSN: 1552-2016

CNEWA

Founded by the Holy Father, CNEWA shares the love of Christ with the churches and peoples of the East, working for, through and with the Eastern Catholic churches.

From the Editors

Increasingly, human trafficking and the scourge of slavery have emerged as dominant social issues for the church. The sale, recruitment and exploitation of human beings for forced labor, sex or organs is an utter affront to the inherent dignity of the human person, created as Scripture tells us in the image and likeness of God. This is the fundamental principle of Catholic social teaching.

Human trafficking is also destructive to our relationships: It breaks up families, destroys communities and tramples on humanity’s basic rights to life and liberty, security, health and selfdetermination, among others. As a church, we are called to stand in solidarity with those who suffer and to speak and act on behalf of the most vulnerable.

As an agency of the Holy See, CNEWA has long funded church-run initiatives that care for those most vulnerable to trafficking — the displaced, migrants, refugees, single mothers and children — programs that prevent trafficking as well as those that rehabilitate, counsel and nurture those who have survived it, reintegrating them with their families and communities and restoring them to health.

Until now, however, CNEWA has not spoken plainly about this issue as a crime against humanity.

CNEWA connects you to your brothers and sisters in need. Together, we build up the church, affirm human dignity, alleviate poverty, encourage dialogue — and inspire hope.

Publisher

Msgr. Peter I. Vaccari

Editorial

Michael J.L. La Civita, Executive Editor

Laura Ieraci, Assistant Editor

Olivia Poust, Editorial Assistant

David Aquije, Contributing Editor

Elias D. Mallon, Contributing Editor

Creative

Timothy McCarthy, Digital Assets Manager

Paul Grillo, Graphic Designer

Samantha Staddon, Junior Graphic Designer

Elizabeth Belsky, Ad Copy Writer

Officers

Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan, Chair and Treasurer

Msgr. Peter I. Vaccari, Secretary

Editorial Office

1011 First Avenue, New York, NY 10022-4195

1-212-826-1480; www.cnewa.org

©2023 Catholic Near East Welfare Association. All rights reserved. Member of the Catholic Media Association of the United States and Canada.

In this edition of ONE, dedicated solely to human trafficking, we bring you stories from our field offices and program partners that highlight the church’s efforts to stem the global scourge of human trafficking. You will read features from Armenia, Poland, Lebanon and Ethiopia; you can also expect to see more stories on this topic from other regions where we work in future editions.

We are telling these stories respectfully, but also forthrightly, having discerned that — as delicate and as difficult as this topic may be to so many of us — we can no longer remain discrete if we want to raise awareness and make an impact.

We hope these features will provide information and perspectives you have not considered before and that, after reading this edition, you will be moved to act and help.

Support our vital work as an agency of healing and hope. Call 1-866-322-4441 (Canada) or 1-800-442-6392 (United States) or give online at cnewa.org/donate.

Connections to CNEWA’s world

Msgr. Vaccari in Ukraine

Msgr. Peter I. Vaccari, CNEWA president, made two pastoral trips to Ukraine this summer in a spirit of solidarity and concern for a people suffering from war, upon the invitation of Ukrainian Catholic University, Caritas Ukraine and the curia of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church. He was accompanied on his first trip, 4-7 June, by a CNEWA delegation, which included Adriana Bara, national director for CNEWA in Canada, and Anna Dombrovska, programs officer who focuses on CNEWA’s work in Ukraine. They visited CNEWA-funded programs in western Ukraine, such as Sheptytsky Hospital in Lviv, the Basilian seminary and monastery, a child care center, a food box distribution center, and a center for orphaned and vulnerable girls, run by the Sisters Servants of Mary Immaculate.

From 20 to 28 August, Msgr. Vaccari traveled to central and eastern Ukraine, visiting CNEWA-funded programs supported by the curia of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church and Caritas Ukraine, including stops in Kyiv,

Beirut, Three Years Later

Three years after the Beirut port blast on 4 August 2020 killed 200 people and injured another 6,000, the city is on the path toward healing, although socioeconomic and political volatility complicate this process, said Michel Constantin, CNEWA’s regional director for Lebanon.

The houses and buildings on the main streets have been repaired,

Bucha, Irpin and Makariv. He also met with Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk of Kyiv-Halych, Tetiana Stawnychy, president of Caritas Ukraine, and Metropolitan Borys Gudziak of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Archeparchy of Philadelphia, who was also in Ukraine on a pastoral visit.

“It is so important for our partners on the ground to know they are not alone, that the worldwide CNEWA family is committed to know and support their work, and to stand in solidarity with the suffering of the Ukrainian people on every level,” said Msgr. Vaccari upon his return.

“These site visits allow for a better understanding of the war’s impact on the church and the people, and gives us better insight to offer better support.”

To support CNEWA’s ongoing work in Ukraine, go to: cnewa.org/what-we-do/ukraine

and shops and restaurants have reopened. Beirut has received more than 2 million tourists this summer — almost half the city’s population — inspiring hope for the local economy. More than 70 percent of the tourists were Lebanese living in the diaspora.

Despite these improvements, the absence of government and dysfunctional political and financial

systems have left many without the assistance they need, said Mr. Constantin. About 80 percent of Lebanon’s population lives in poverty. Families live in darkness for up to 18 hours a day, as they cannot afford a generator for electricity. Nor do they do have the funds to afford a propane cylinder to prepare a hot meal, buy medication, seek health care or provide tuition for their children’s education.

While visiting Lviv in June, Msgr. Peter I. Vaccari meets a woman who was internally displaced by the war in Ukraine and had just learned her home was destroyed in the collapse of the Kakhovka dam.

Death of Archbishop Gervais

Archbishop Marcel A. Gervais, archbishop emeritus of Ottawa, Canada, and founder of CNEWA in Canada, died on 6 August. He was 91.

Archbishop Gervais was ordained a priest for the Diocese of London, Ontario, in 1958, and then auxiliary bishop in 1980. He was named bishop of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, in 1985, and then archbishop of Ottawa in 1989. In 2003, he accepted an invitation from the Congregation for Eastern Churches to establish a national office of CNEWA in Canada, serving as its first president until his retirement in 2007.

Archbishop Marcel Damphousse of Ottawa-Cornwall, current chair of the CNEWA Canada board, described Archbishop Gervais’s death as “an incredible loss” and expressed gratitude “for the important work he did” in supporting the Eastern churches.

New Cardinals Created

Pope Francis appointed 21 churchmen to join the College of Cardinals in July, including Archbishop Claudio Gugerotti, prefect of the Dicastery for the Eastern Churches, and Archbishop Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin patriarch of Jerusalem. The new cardinals are to be installed during a consistory at the Vatican on 30 September.

CNEWA has long collaborated with Cardinal Gugerotti, first in his role at the former Congregation for Eastern Churches and then in his years as nuncio in Armenia, Georgia, Ukraine and Belarus, as well as with Cardinal Pizzaballa since his election as Custos of the Holy Land. Many years!

CNEWA’s December Gala

Mark your calendar! CNEWA will hold its second annual gala on Tuesday, 5 December, at a private club in New York. This year’s Healing & Hope

Gala will focus on the heroic work conducted by the church in the fight against human trafficking and other forms of modern slavery.

CNEWA will honor as its special guest Good Shepherd Sister Marie Claude Naddaf, who has been assisting victims of violence and working to stop human trafficking in the Middle East for more than 25 years. CNEWA will also confer its Faith and Culture Award to John J. Studzinski, C.B.E., for his longtime advocacy and work in support of trafficking victims.

For more, call 212-826-1480 ext. 550 or visit cnewa.org/events. To be a sponsor or donate to the cause, email gala@cnewa.org

La Civita Named Lieutenant CNEWA’s director of communications, Michael J.L. La Civita, was appointed lieutenant of the Eastern Lieutenancy of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, which includes knights and dames in Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and the Bahamas, effective 14 October. He was invested in 2009, has served on its board of councilors since 2014, and as chancellor since 2020.

This chivalric order of the Catholic Church supports Christians in the Middle East, including Christian schools, social service programs and other church initiatives. CNEWA has long supported the order’s work and the formation of its members.

Archbishop Marcel Gervais, archbishop emeritus of Ottawa and first president of CNEWA Canada’s board, died on 6 August. His funeral was on 14 August.

A Crime Against Humanity

The church takes on the fight to end human trafficking

by Olivia Poust

When Sister Abby Avelino, M.M., arrived in Japan to work with migrants and refugees, she quickly learned that her work would be intertwined with supporting people whose status made them vulnerable to human trafficking.

“They were recruited, they were promised so many things, but they ended up being either forced for sexual exploitation [or] sometimes they were deceived,” said Sister Abby, a member of the Maryknoll Sisters.

For instance, recruiters would tell migrants they would work in a hotel, but then would place them in the fishing or agriculture industries under more difficult conditions, she explained.

fraud or deception, with the aim of exploiting them for profit.”

According to a report by the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime, issued in 2022, trafficking for forced labor (38.8 percent) and for sexual exploitation (38.7 percent) account for the bulk of trafficking cases. The latter is frequently regarded as synonymous with trafficking, but the reality is more expansive and nuanced. People are also trafficked for forced criminal activity (10.2 percent), forced marriage (0.9 percent), exploitative begging (0.7 percent), illegal adoption (0.3 percent), and organ removal (0.2 percent).

The gender of trafficking victims has shifted in recent decades. From 2004 to 2020, according to the same U.N. report, the percentage of

Against Trafficking. “Vulnerable people will sometimes be forced to do things to support themselves and their families that they would not ordinarily do.”

Sister Jeanne recalled a comment made by two Filipino seminarians during a presentation she gave on labor trafficking and worker rights: “But, sister, that’s the only way we can earn money to support families.”

“How do you answer that one?” she asked rhetorically. “That’s the catch-22. But we still have to address it.”

The efforts of Catholic religious women in combating human trafficking, particularly pertaining to forms that target women and children, picked up after the 2001 plenary assembly of the

Victims of labor trafficking, frequently in the agriculture or fishing industries — 29 percent and 28 percent of forced labor cases, respectively — are often trapped in their work situation. Debt bondage is the most common practice that keeps them tied to these employers, but “the threat of violence” or punishment are also widespread tactics, according to the U.S. Office on Trafficking in Persons.

The United Nations defines trafficking as “the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring or receipt of people through force,

Children at the Armenian Sisters of the Immaculate Conception’s summer camp in Gyumri, Armenia, created a mural of their handprints. Handprints are a symbol of the anti-human trafficking movement.

women trafficked decreased by 32 percent, while the percentage of girls increased by 8 percent. The percentage of trafficked men also increased by 10 percent and by 14 percent for boys. However, women and children remain more likely to experience violence in trafficking situations.

Global crises, such as war, environmental disasters or degradation and economic instability, cause migration, which are common drivers of trafficking. Other drivers include poverty, abandonment or family separation, lack of economic opportunities and debt bondage.

“If you’re poor, you’re vulnerable. If you’re poor, how’s your housing? How’s your education? How’s your food?” said Sister Jeanne Christensen, R.S.M., justice advocate and cofounder of U.S. Catholic Sisters

International Union of Superiors General (U.I.S.G.), when they stated their commitment to “work in solidarity” and “address insistently at every level the abuse and sexual exploitation of women and children.”

The U.I.S.G. encouraged the creation of organizations and networks of religious sisters against human trafficking, including Talitha Kum, a Rome-based “network of networks” that formed in 2009.

Talitha Kum extends into 97 countries across five continents and is comprised of religious women, their congregations and antitrafficking organizations, as well as other local and international partners. In 2022, the network reached more than 560,000 people globally, including 34,463 trafficking victims and survivors.

“Vulnerable people will sometimes be forced to do things to support themselves and their families that they would not ordinarily do.”

Sister Abby has served as the international coordinator for Talitha Kum since 2022, after 16 years in Japan and one year as the regional representative of Asia on Talitha Kum’s International Coordination Committee.

These networks are active in advocacy, prevention, education, response, reintegration and

empowerment. Many take an advocacy approach to address systemic weaknesses and the root causes of trafficking.

“If we don’t work on the systems that continually oppress, you can do charity work, but can never really get to the point where the dignity and the worth of each person … cannot be oppressed by

African migrants set sail for Europe. Seeking prosperity abroad, migrants will sometimes enter Europe or Arab countries illegally through human smugglers, putting them at risk for human trafficking. Opposite, Nayiri Arslanian, a social worker with Wells of Hope in Lebanon, holds up an anti-trafficking sign, alongside a trafficking survivor.

those systems,” said Sister Catherine Ferguson, S.N.J.M., founder of UNANIMA International, a U.N.accredited organization addressing issues pertaining to homelessness.

She likened the structure of antitrafficking work to a nesting doll, with the smallest doll representing individual charity, “where people are just loving to each other,” and the largest representing work at the international level, including at the United Nations. The other dolls in the series represent the various levels of anti-trafficking work, including education.

“If any of the pieces are not working for the benefit of all, then the whole thing is contaminated, vitiated and not necessarily functioning well,” she said.

Father Elias D. Mallon, S.A., CNEWA’s primary representative at the U.N., noted that slavery was part of the Christian world for centuries.

In the past, the Catholic Church aligned itself with Catholic countries, such as Spain, France and Portugal, which played a major role in the Atlantic Slave Trade, he said. In 1814, Pope Pius VII condemned the slave trade in private letters to European rulers, but it took another 25 years for Pope Gregory XVI to condemn it publicly. Then, in 1888, nearly 50 years later, Pope Leo XIII condemned slave holding in his encyclical “In plurimis,” and identified slavery as evil.

Today, the Holy See strongly opposes all forms of slavery and trafficking, he said. Pope Francis

clearly expresses this stance, as did his immediate predecessors, John Paul II and Benedict XVI.

Archbishop Gabriele Caccia also makes this position known on the international stage as the permanent observer of the Holy See to the U.N. Having described human trafficking as “a crime against humanity,” Pope Francis in November 2014 designated 8 February as the International Day

of Prayer and Awareness Against Human Trafficking.

Care for the vulnerable and the dignity of every person are values central to the anti-trafficking work of women religious and other Catholic groups, such as CNEWA.

“In my visits to our regional offices and where we work with partners, I have been repeatedly introduced to the work of CNEWA

on behalf of these victims,” said Msgr. Peter I. Vaccari, CNEWA president. “I have observed the heroic work in CNEWA-sponsored facilities of religious women on behalf of these victims.”

“These groups reflect what I hope will always be attached to the identity of CNEWA,” he said, “that this pontifical agency is an agency of healing and hope.” n

“They were recruited, they were promised so many things, but they ended up being ... forced for sexual exploitation.”

Vulnerable by War

Polish Catholic charity offers safety to Ukrainian refugees

text

by Claudia

Ciobanu

with photographs by Konstantin Chernichkin

Local police had just been summoned to investigate an incident at the Helios student dormitory in Lublin, Poland.

Officers were speaking with the building administrators to gather the details. Several Ukrainian girls, aged 10 to 12, had reported a Polish man had been hanging around the dormitory and eventually invited them to his house for tea and cookies. They realized immediately the situation was dangerous and came inside to notify the adults. The girls, clearly shaken, were waiting with their parents in the lobby to give police their statements.

Lublin is situated about 105 miles southeast of Warsaw, home to Maria Curie-Sklodowska University, the largest public university in eastern Poland. The dormitory is inhabited almost exclusively by refugees who have fled Ukraine after Russia invaded in February last year. The incident was a flagrant example of the vulnerability and risk faced by Ukrainian refugees, mostly women and children, of being trafficked.

Natalia Volodymyrivna Hulak, 38, currently lives at the dormitory with her 12-year-old daughter and 59-year-old mother. They took refuge in Lublin, having fled southeastern Ukraine weeks after the war began.

“When we first arrived in Poland after being evacuated from our town, Nikopol, we were afraid all the time that something bad may happen, that someone might try to take advantage of us,” says Ms. Hulak.

“We did hear a scary story from some of the other women,” Ms. Hulak recalls. “They said when they got to their accommodation, the hosts took their passports and

put some bracelets on their wrists. The women were afraid they would be trafficked, so at night they searched the building to find the documents and then they ran away.”

Nikopol is located between Zaporizhzhia and Kherson — a contested area since the start of the war — in relative proximity to the Kakhovka dam, blown up by Russian forces on 6 June.

Ms. Hulak, her sister and their respective children fled their homes in March last year, after being told fighters under the command of Ramzan Kadyrov, head of the Chechen Republic, were approaching. These troops had developed a reputation for committing brutal acts of violence against civilians.

As with other refugees in those first weeks of the war, Ms. Hulak and her family were put on an evacuation train, which traveled to an unknown destination nonstop in the dark to avoid being spotted by the Russian military. All along the way, they had no control over their situation.

“We were just doing what we were told to do,” says Ms. Hulak. “At first by the Ukrainian authorities and then, when we got to Poland, by volunteers.”

About 8.5 million Ukrainian refugees have come through Poland since the war began; as many as 150,000 refugees arrived daily in March 2022, according to data from the Polish Border Guard. Currently, about 1.5 million Ukrainian refugees live in Poland.

In the early weeks of the war, it was common for random people of good will, Polish or otherwise, to travel to the border with Ukraine and offer refugees accommodations or a ride to their destination of choice, including to countries further west. Most of these refugees in Poland stayed with families.

In that chaos, however, multiple human rights groups warned that

Natalia Hulak, left, her mother and daughter have been sheltered in a university dormitory in Lublin, Poland, since fleeing Ukraine in March 2022.

the risk of refugees being trafficked or otherwise exploited was very high. In a notorious case, in March 2022, police arrested a Polish man for raping a 19-year-old woman whom he had offered to host in his home.

The sheer size of the mobilization made it impossible at first for Left, Artem Dubenskiy, 6, from Ukraine meets with Yulia Zayarna, an integration specialist with Caritas Poland in Warsaw. Below, Ukrainian refugees wait to meet with Caritas Poland staff in Warsaw.

Caritas Poland staff and volunteers have received training in the detection and prevention of human trafficking.

authorities to run safety checks on anyone driving or hosting the displaced, says Aleksandra Szoc of the migrants and refugees department in the Warsaw office of Caritas Poland, a charity of the Catholic community in Poland. However, conscious of the risks, volunteers on the ground quickly established a provisional preventive system, explains Ms. Szoc.

Initially, volunteers assigned the role of “safeguarding focal points” to specific humanitarian workers, who would register the demographic and car registration information of

those individuals offering refugees a ride or accommodation. Due to the cooperation between volunteers and authorities, an online system was in place within a few months and the Polish police were running security checks.

Jacek Paniw describes a similar situation. He is a municipal worker responsible for receiving refugees in the Polish border town of Przemysl, where most Ukrainians arrive by train.

“In addition to the organizations who helped out, there was a huge number of people arriving from all

over Europe and Poland to pick up refugees and offer them rides, jobs or accommodation,” he says. “We very quickly decided we had to register those people. We created such a registration point at the reception center at the train station.”

Once the registration system was in place, the police got involved and ran security checks.

Currently, despite the risks, the official number of recorded human trafficking cases among Ukrainian refugees in Poland is low.

“We have not seen an exponential increase in reports of sexual assault

or human trafficking since the war started,” Antoni Rzeczkowski, a spokesperson for the Polish police, tells ONE. “We also have not noted any cases in Poland of Ukrainian refugees employed through organizations operating illegally.”

Across Europe, according to data from the Fundamental Rights Agency of the European Union, between mid-April and end of July 2022, E.U. member states reported more than 80 suspected trafficking cases, “but only a minority … were confirmed as trafficking cases after criminal investigation.”

Mariusz Derecki, a lawyer with Caritas Poland specializing in refugee protection, says he has seen cases of attempts to lure refugees into the sex industry, sometimes under false pretenses, since Russia invaded Crimea in 2014.

He shares the story of a refugee who was interviewed for what was advertised as an “interesting job in services,” only to be offered a contract that would have required her to pay a fine if she did not sell enough “chips” for an unknown activity that involved the use of protective cover and online chatting. The woman showed the contract to lawyers working for another N.G.O. and was advised against taking the job. “Many times, the deals offered are on the border of legality, as was the case with this very complicated contract,” Mr. Derecki explains. “The problem begins when a person is being pressured into conducting some activities against their will.”

To help mitigate the risks and circumstances that facilitate human trafficking, Caritas Poland

volunteers have received training in detection and prevention.

Iryna Alokhina, a Caritas employee in Lublin, completed her training in April. She learned how to recognize a potential trafficking victim among the organization’s beneficiaries, speak with a potential victim and offer options for support without exercising pressure.

Since the start of the war, Caritas Poland and similar nongovernmental organizations have shifted their focus from emergency intervention at the border to long-term support to help refugees settle and integrate into Polish society. Ensuring that refugees are legally employed, have proper

Ukrainian refugee Halyna Chokan found work with the help of Caritas Poland as an assistant chef in a restaurant in Lublin, Poland.

“We were afraid all the time that something bad may happen, that someone might try to take advantage of us.”

living arrangements and are not socially isolated is key to reducing their vulnerability to trafficking and other forms of exploitation.

In many of its almost 30 migration help centers in Poland, including in Lublin and Warsaw, Caritas offers comprehensive support for Ukrainians, including legal help, psychological support, language courses, job counseling and socialization activities.

In Lublin, Caritas also offers housing assistance, legal consultations on refugee rights, educational programs for children, career counseling and aid with local employers in seeking work.

“When the war started, we had a lot of experience with helping refugees around the world,” says the Reverend Lukasz Mudrak, director of Caritas Lublin, during a tour of the charity’s complex.

“But this was the first time we saw a refugee crisis on our territory. Since the war broke out, over 18,000 refugees registered at our center.”

For Ms. Hulak’s family, the support offered by Caritas Poland is key to their survival. The modest room and board at the dormitory are covered by the Polish state — at least for now. The government started charging Ukrainian refugees living in collective housing half of their accommodation costs on 1 March and 75 percent of those costs starting in May. However, vulnerable groups, including children, retirees, pregnant women, single parents, parents with children under 12, and those with financial difficulties are exempt.

Ms. Hulak still receives a monthly stipend of 700 zloty ($175) from the Polish state in child subsidy and disability allowance. Her mother has chronic health problems that make it impossible for her to work, and Ms. Hulak is having difficulty finding a job that would allow her

to continue caring for both her daughter and her mother.

The women are entirely dependent on Caritas for their daily needs, but also for any socialization and advice. Their time volunteering with Caritas to send aid to Ukraine or to support other refugees has helped them psychologically. Ms. Hulak and her mother speak with longing about returning home in the near future, despite Nikopol coming under constant shelling and their apartments having been bombarded.

In some cases, Caritas Poland has been vital to Ukrainians flourishing in their new situation — not merely surviving. Anna hails from Kherson and has volunteered as a translator with Caritas for months. She is set to start a full-time job assisting Caritas with its new mobile center that will reach refugees outside the city or those homebound due to illness or old age.

Anna, who is also fluent in English and Russian, was an English teacher in Ukraine and describes herself as a social, outgoing person. As the mother of a 16-year-old son, she is committed to staying in Poland to avoid her son being drafted. Despite difficulties at the start, the boy is now thriving in a Polish high school.

“I have always been an energetic person,” Anna says in flawless English. “And I really like socializing with people. I think this has helped me to build connections here. But it is also because I brought high-value skills with me.”

Anna says working for Caritas will allow her to continue contributing to her country’s cause by helping her fellow Ukrainians forced out of their homeland by war.

Claudia Ciobanu is a Warsawbased journalist covering Central and Eastern Europe. She has reported for Reuters, The Guardian and Al Jazeera.

Twice

Targeted Twice Targeted

Protecting vulnerable families in Armenia through awareness

text by Gohar Abrahamyan

with photographs by Nazik Armenakyan

Hovhannes sits up with difficulty in a bed set up in the garden of a half-built house and opens the parcel his brother brought home. Hovhannes is filled with curiosity, but his mother scolds his brother for bringing food home again from a store in the village.

“I have warned both of them and the shop not to give them anything, but they are kids. They want something and take it, adding to my debt,” says Armine, waving her hands in exasperation, choking with emotion.

Armine, 40, is a single mother of three boys, 16, 13 and 11 years old. When she married a distant relative years ago, she was confident she would be in reliable hands. However, blissful married life only lasted until their firstborn son turned one, when they learned he had a hearing impairment. The illnesses of their two younger sons would only aggravate the family situation further, and her husband decided the only solution would be to find better paying work abroad.

“He went back and forth for a few years, helping us with everything. We had everything we needed,” Armine recalls. “In 2017, he convinced me to get a divorce, so he could make a better career abroad and help us more. Many people were doing that, but he went and forgot about us.”

Armine continues to live in the home they built together in Armenia’s Ararat region, sharing a roof with her ex-husband’s mother. Relations are strained between the two women and Armine endures daily arguments.

Her mother-in-law occupies one of the three bedrooms; the boys occupy another bedroom. The coldest room, covered with a concrete roof, is Armine’s. The walls in the house are faded, like their dreams. They have no toilet, but an outhouse, which fills quickly.

“Sometimes I just don’t want to live anymore,” says Armine. “But then I look at my children and realize I cannot leave them alone in this life full of hardships.

“I am able to work, and I feel bad that I can’t do anything,” she says defeatedly, as her efforts to keep a job have failed repeatedly.

“When my children were younger, they would always get sick, leaving me with a lot of debt. I was forced to leave them alone for a few hours every day to work, but I would come home and find they had either damaged the house or injured themselves.”

Her family’s sole income is her son’s monthly disability pension of 39,000 dram (about $100), and other state benefits that equal the same amount. She does not receive the $150 monthly alimony from her former husband ordered by the court. For the past three years, Caritas Armenia, the charity of Armenia’s Catholic community, has stepped in to provide her with money for utilities, medicine, food, hygiene products and stationery through a program focused on improving the social conditions of single mothers.

Armine says she also benefits from the psychological support she receives from Caritas Armenia and the informative discussions on various topics, which have helped her to overcome her hardships and avoid exploitation.

Although Armenia has improved its efforts in the fight against human trafficking, more needs to be done, including in the investigation, prosecution and conviction of traffickers, according to reports on the state of trafficking worldwide.

The U.S. Department of State’s 2023 Trafficking in Persons Report for Armenia states that in the past five years, “human traffickers exploit domestic and foreign victims

Armine, 40, poses with two of her sons. The single mother struggles to raise her three sons in the Ararat region of Armenia.

in Armenia, as well as victims from Armenia abroad,” including “some Armenian migrants who seek employment in Russia often through recruitment fraud and recruitment fee-related debt bondage by labor brokers.” In addition, children, as well as men in rural areas with little education, are vulnerable to labor trafficking.

Tatevik Bezhanyan, a migration program expert with Caritas Armenia, notes that trafficking is a highly latent crime, making identification very difficult, and exploitation is rarely disclosed.

“Seventy to 75 percent of work migrants are men, and as a rule they don’t want to accept that they have fallen victim to exploitation,” she says. In 2020, up to 87 percent of all labor migrants from Armenia were men, according to the International Organization for Migration.

“They don’t want to admit it because they consider it to be a disgrace,” she adds.

While Armenia does not have many recorded cases of human trafficking, it has been classified as an “exit country” for trafficking and exploitation, explains Ms. Bezhanyan. In other words, Armenians who migrate abroad often fall victim to trafficking. It is also an “entry country,” whereby people who migrate to Armenia may be recruited for trafficking or exploitation within the country, as well as a “transit country,” which trafficked persons are transported through to a destination country.

Turkey and Arab countries are where Armenian women are most likely to fall victim to sex trafficking, while Russia is where Armenian men are most likely to succumb to labor trafficking.

“Our biggest issue is stereotypes. Many think that something like this could not happen to them. However, everyone can become a victim of trafficking and exploitation. No one is insured against it, and no one is at fault.”

“Since Armenian independence, only highly qualified experts have migrated to the United States and the European Union,” says Ms. Bezhanyan.

Russia is the most common destination for Armenian labor migrants. The National Statistical Service of Armenia estimates 90 percent of Armenians who migrate to Russia go for work.

“First, the two countries were [once] part of one state [the Soviet Union]. As a result, people still have connections there,” explains

Ms. Bezhanyan. “There are far fewer issues pertaining to language. The country also does not require a visa.”

Despite these ties, Armenians are not protected from being trafficked or exploited in Russia.

“In many ways, they do not go prepared,” says Ms. Bezhanyan. “They unconditionally trust the person who invited them. As a result, we have cases where people’s trust is abused.

“There are cases where they are not paid as promised. There are

Left, Father Hovsep Galstyan, spiritual director for Caritas Armenia. Right, some children attending the Armenian Sisters’ summer camp are baptized at St. Grigor Lusavorich Church in Tsakhadzor, Armenia.

cases where they are not paid at all, or where they do not do the work for which they were invited. There are cases where the employer takes the passport and does not give it back.”

Ms. Bezhanyan underlines the importance of the awareness

“Respect for human dignity is the fundamental principle and motivation for the church’s work to end human trafficking.”

and prevention programs Caritas Armenia is running, in cooperation with the Armenian government and other nongovernmental organizations. Caritas Armenia also has been a member of the Armenian Inter-Governmental Commission Working Group on trafficking issues and a full member of COATNET — Christian Organizations Against Trafficking Network — since 2006.

“Our biggest issue is stereotypes,” Ms. Bezhanyan continues. “Many think that something like this could not happen to them. However,

everyone can become a victim of trafficking and exploitation. No one is insured against it, and no one is at fault.”

Respect for human dignity is the fundamental principle and motivation for the church’s work to end human trafficking, says the Reverend Hovsep Galstyan, spiritual director for Caritas Armenia.

The very first social encyclical, “Rerum novarum,” written by Pope Leo XIII in 1891, addresses the protection of worker rights, he points out. Every papal

document that addresses labor issues states explicitly “that we must respect and protect the rights of workers, and especially migrant workers, otherwise, this means exploitation of people,” says Father Galstyan.

The church “does not accept” such exploitation, he adds, and is acting “in a very practical way” to bring an end to it.

The Armenian Sisters of the Immaculate Conception have been serving in Armenia since a December 1988 earthquake

devastated northern Armenia. The community of seven women religious welcomes children from vulnerable families to their center in Gyumri, the second-largest city in Armenia. Twenty children aged 3 to 18 currently live there, and another nine children are enrolled in their day care program.

“Armenia has adopted a policy of deinstitutionalization of orphanages, but there are citizens who are unable to take care of children. We take care of them,” says Sister Narine Simonyan, who heads the center.

The children are not required to leave the center upon reaching maturity. They may stay after high school while they learn a trade or profession. Others pursue higher education in Yerevan and reside at the sisters’ center there, which currently has 24 students. After graduation, the young adults will sometimes stay on or get married.

“Thus, we keep them away from violence, from being trafficked,” she says. “We ensure their safety, monitor their studies, help them to navigate in a new environment.”

Rem Parshkova relies on Caritas Armenia’s assistance to support her children and mother since her husband died.

More than 300 disadvantaged children have benefited from the sisters’ care, including children who exhibit high-risk behaviors. Today, these children are successful and self-sufficient, and have found their place in life, says Sister Narine.

“One of our children is currently working at the consulate in Italy; we have surgeons, dentists, we have

“The idea of family was distorted for them. We were able to help them alleviate that pain … and promote their participation in a healthy family life.”

many students who graduated and got married, and most importantly, they formed good families,” she says.

“The idea of family was distorted for them. We were able to help them alleviate that pain, understand the importance of the family and promote their participation in a healthy family life. The most important thing is that the child can take the right path in life.”

The sisters also organize summer camps for children from the border villages in the Tavush and Gegharkunik regions, as well as for children of fallen soldiers or from disadvantaged families.

“During the 12-day camps, we try to provide a quality vacation for about 800 participating children, to organize their rest, nourish them physically and mentally,” says Sister Narine.

“Of course, this is not dependent on our strength. It is our mission that God gave us, and we want to be useful. We, as sisters, have a mission to educate and help the vulnerable. When we help, we don’t know the religious affiliation of our beneficiaries. If we have to help, we help. People are at the core of our activity,” she says, adding: “I do everything for the love of God.”

Gayane, 32, is a single mother of three living in Lori region. Her 10-year-old son is enrolled in the camp, which is a great help for Gayane, who struggles financially and who knows that, at least for a few days, one of her children will eat nutritious food and be in good hands.

About three years ago, Gayane’s husband left to work abroad to care for the family’s needs, but he never returned.

“After the birth of my third child, we decided to buy a house with the money allocated by the state and make the down payment. My

husband went abroad to earn the rest of the money to buy the house. However, he lives there now with another woman, and he has forgotten about us and the plans to buy a house,” Gayane says through tears.

Her middle child was diagnosed with a double hernia a few days after birth. The hernia was not treated in time due to the family’s financial difficulties and the boy developed complications. Now 9 years old, the boy has developmental challenges. He attends school but has fallen behind in his studies and acts far younger than his age.

“There are children who love him and play with him,” says Gayane. “There are those who despise him and do not communicate with him.”

As with Armine, the only income for Gayane’s family is her 9-year-old son’s monthly disability pension of 39,000 dram and the same amount in disability allowance. She is unable to find employment as she has no one to care for her children should she find work. She, too, has benefited from Caritas Armenia’s program for single mothers for the past several months.

“They help me with everything,” she says. “They give me food, stationery, wood, bedding, which is a great help for me and my children.”

As a beneficiary of Caritas, Gayane says she has gained knowledge and awareness of her vulnerabilities, potential risks and societal dangers. She feels more equipped to face the difficulties of life as a single mother, increasing her confidence that she can protect herself and her children from a life of exploitation.

A communications specialist, Gohar Abrahamyan covers issues of justice and peace in the Caucasus for local and international media.

Help single mothers protect their families from exploitation

cnewa.org I cnewa.ca

Learn more about the Armenian Sisters and their work with vulnerable youth in an exclusive video at cnewa.org/one

A Letter From the United Nations

by Sister Winifred Doherty, R.G.S.

My work as an advocate at the United Nations on behalf of trafficked girls and women began after years as a missionary in Ethiopia, where I witnessed firsthand the pain and trauma they experienced.

I am a sister of the Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd, appointed by my congregation 16 years ago to work as an N.G.O. representative to the U.N.

The charism of my congregation is to uphold the rights of girls and women, inspired by St. John Eudes, a 17th-century priest who sought to address this same issue in France, through the teaching and the pastoral care of prostituted women.

Ending human trafficking is not a simple task. It is complex, multidimensional and intricate.

Human trafficking is a violation of human rights and an organized criminal activity with an annual estimated global profit of $150 billion.

In my early days in advocacy, I would ask myself: “Where and how do I insert myself in the world of advocacy to make a difference?”

My goal at the U.N. has been to create awareness about trafficking among member states and to urge the adoption of policies that address systemic root causes, including poverty and violence against girls and women.

I like to explain advocacy to end human trafficking with the scriptural image in Matthew 13:33 of the yeast that a woman mixes into three measures of flour, “until the whole batch was leavened.” Even though she adds only a little yeast, it permeates every part of the dough.

So, I seek to influence by presence — a presence that is proactive, networked and relational. However, advocacy is not a solo venture. Advocates against human trafficking must be as well networked as the criminal network. Effective advocacy is always with like-minded people who coordinate for a helpful outcome.

The emergence of survivor advocates has been the biggest highlight for me in the advocacy field. They are instrumental in creating a new level of awareness of the harms of human trafficking. My work at the U.N. is most effective when informed by recent advances or setbacks at the national, regional or local levels from survivor advocates. They represent multiple experiences and powerfully inform the discussion. Their advocacy is critical to where we are today.

Advocacy is about navigating the challenges that present themselves. Gaining access to the space — a seat at the negotiation table at the U.N. — is critical. Equally important is meeting with member state representatives, building relationships while highlighting the need to adopt and implement policies and legislation conducive to ending the scourge of human trafficking in all its forms. Researching and organizing well-prepared points with recommendations is another step in the process.

However, the post-COVID-19 world has seen a breakdown of the trust required for multilateralism. With the rise of autocratic regimes around the world, we have witnessed an intense backlash against girls and women and the reversal of the many gains made in eliminating poverty. All of this has made advocacy work much more challenging.

Trends seeking the normalization and legalization of prostitution, pimping and brothel-keeping, pushed by market concepts of supply and demand and reinforced by neo-liberal capitalism with its sole drive for profit — even arguing for a person’s “right” to buy sex — are antithetical to human rights and dignity. I call this the “corporatization” of women’s bodies.

Major advances in technology have added to the problem. Traffickers

use technology for their criminal operations, remotely identifying and recruiting individuals on a larger scale than what was possible through traditional offline schemes.

Positive characteristics of recent laws against trafficking are the focus on criminalizing demand and the push to follow through with prosecutions. It is a shift from the blame traditionally placed on the victim. However, it can prove extremely difficult to implement this law and to prosecute perpetrators.

In my years at the U.N., I have seen the evolution of the 2010 General Assembly Resolution, called the Global Plan to Combat Trafficking in Persons, with its appraisal every four years. I have

2000. The review mechanism was finally achieved in 2020. I mention this to underline the amount of work behind the scenes — meetings by member states to achieve a global point of view, the untiring work of N.G.O. advocates — as well as the persistence and dedication required to get a review mechanism in place.

When I address these processes, I remember the many girls and women whom I have had the privilege of meeting in such situations: the girls and women in Ethiopia who were engaged in street prostitution and especially the 11-year-old girl in Thailand, whom I met while accompanying two religious sisters whose mission was to visit brothels at night.

seen the establishment of the World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, 30 July, to heighten awareness on the issue and the harms of trafficking, as well as the publication of the Trafficking in Persons Report every two years.

Global mechanisms and international days, however, are not sufficient. For effectiveness, they must be adopted at the regional and national levels and implemented in each country. In the case of human trafficking, this is complicated further by trafficking across borders, necessitating relations between the trafficked person’s country of origin, country of transit and country of destination.

I spent some years traveling to the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime in Vienna to advocate for a review mechanism for the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, adopted in

What kind of system or structure permits an 11-year-old girl to be in a brothel? Systems where poverty is rampant, systems that permit the sexual exploitation of the girl child with impunity and that profit financially from applying the market forces of supply and demand to human beings, creating the slave trade of today.

I face each day holding not only girls and women, but every person impacted by these unjust systems and structures in my heart and in my prayer. It is their suffering and pain that motivate me to seek every opportunity in U.N. diplomacy that their rights may be upheld.

Herein lies my raison d’être for my persistent and constant advocacy to end human trafficking in all its forms everywhere. The U.N., while not the only advocacy platform, offers such opportunities at the global level. n

“What kind of system permits an 11-year-old girl to be in a brothel?”

Drawn by Illusion

The lure of false promises of prosperity

by Hikma A. Abdulmejid

Dawit was 16 and living alone in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia’s capital city, when he began to dream of setting sail across the Mediterranean toward the promise of prosperity in Europe.

In Addis Ababa, where life moves at a frenetic pace, as people rush to work and vendors peddle their wares on every corner, survival for the most vulnerable — especially amid the country’s ongoing civil, environmental and socioeconomic crises, now exacerbated by war in Ukraine — seems almost impossible.

Faced with these harsh realities, Dawit, a pseudonym to protect the young man’s privacy, was desperate for guidance and information. He sought someone who could shed light on this endeavor. It was then that providence intervened.

Birknesh Gobena, the education and youth development coordinator at Jesuit Refugee Service (J.R.S.), learned of Dawit’s plans through a mutual contact. She and her team took swift action in Dawit’s case, offering counseling, arranging financial support to alleviate his burden of living alone, and exploring the possibility of Dawit living with his friends.

J.R.S., an international Catholic organization that works directly with refugees, many of whom are victims of human trafficking, has been operating in Ethiopia since 1982.

Since meeting Ms. Gobena and J.R.S., Dawit’s life has taken an unexpected yet welcome turn. Now 17, Dawit is immersed in the world of graphic design, honing his skills at the Technical School of the Salesians of Don Bosco in

Migrants set sail in June from the northern coast of Africa to the Italian island of Lampedusa.

Mekanisa, a neighborhood of Addis Ababa.

Dawit is one of many young people who, either alone or in groups, migrate from Eritrea to Ethiopia every year for economic, social and political reasons, says Ms. Gobena. Dawit had made the journey alone and had no one to rely on once he reached the big city.

Amid regional conflicts, drought and food insecurity in the Horn of Africa, the decision to leave for many people is a matter of survival.

According to Ms. Gobena, some migrants come to Addis Ababa with the intention of continuing on to Libya to reach Europe or Arab countries, with the assistance of human smugglers.

However, most of them are unaware of the potential risks involved due to poor access to information and resources. These risks include falling prey to sex or labor trafficking in their new host country or, possibly, dying on their migration route due to unsafe conditions or outright violence.

An August report from Human Rights Watch states “at least hundreds” of Ethiopian migrants and asylum seekers were killed by border guards in Saudi Arabia, between March 2022 and June 2023, while attempting to cross the SaudiYemeni border.

The Missing Migrants Project of the International Organization for Migration, says the reported number of migrants who have died or gone missing on migration routes since 2014 is more than 58,000, noting these incidents remain largely underreported. Of these, more than 2,115 are Ethiopian.

According to the International Labor Organization, the lack of legal pathways for migration is a major factor contributing to human smuggling and trafficking, which are both crimes under international law.

While these crimes are often entwined, and the terms used interchangeably, they are distinct with significant differences. Human trafficking involves exploiting individuals through force, fraud or coercion for labor, commercial sex acts or other nonconsensual purposes. These individuals are considered victims regardless of their perceived consent or previous involvement in criminal activities. Human smuggling occurs when individuals willingly enter into agreements with smugglers to gain illegal entry into a foreign country, where language barriers, cultural differences, discrimination and unfamiliarity with the law leave smuggled migrants more vulnerable to trafficking.

While smuggled migrants consent to be moved, and the transaction with the smuggler typically concludes upon crossing the border and payment to the smuggler, in some cases, smuggled persons are held for ransom.

Solomon Bizualem, national director at J.R.S. in Addis Ababa, says “the absence of opportunities and education is a significant factor contributing to both human trafficking and onward illegal migration.”

“One of our main focuses is to understand the knowledge of these refugees regarding the risks of human trafficking and illegal migration,” he explains. “We strive to inform them about these risks, help them make informed decisions and encourage them to remain in Ethiopia.”

As of July 2023, Ethiopia was home to more than 930,000 refugees and asylum seekers, many of them from South Sudan, Somalia and Eritrea. These vulnerable populations, especially those facing economic and educational barriers, are at a heightened risk of falling victim to human trafficking.

While Ethiopia grapples with a multitude of challenges, poverty is

the primary factor contributing to human trafficking in the country, followed by conflict and natural disasters. According to the U.N. 2023 Global Multidimensional Poverty Index, a considerable portion of the population lives under difficult conditions, with limited access to education, health care and basic services.

“Our organization primarily works on addressing these root causes,” says Mr. Bizualem. “In our programs, we strive to provide refugees with a wide range of educational opportunities, both formal and informal, to empower them and instill hope for a brighter future.

“Our ultimate objective is to reduce their susceptibility to exploitation by human smugglers and traffickers by equipping them with valuable skills that are in demand. We also have a special program for protecting children because we understand that they, too, can become victims of human trafficking.”

Human trafficking is a major issue of concern in regions outside the national capital as well.

The recent conflict in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region triggered a series of catastrophic events, leaving behind a trail of devastation, including an alarming rise in human trafficking, with women and girls in the Tigray, Afar and Amhara regions being disproportionately affected. As they flee conflict-ridden areas, the U.N. warns, their vulnerability to abduction and exploitation for sexual purposes increases exponentially.

Those who remain behind are also at increased risk of trafficking, as the ongoing limited humanitarian

Refugee children play at the Jesuit Refugee Service center in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

“In their eyes, poverty and political instability make staying in Ethiopia seem like a perilous path.”

access to the region exacerbates an already desperate situation and motivates some to resort to radical means to meet their basic needs, including the trade of human persons.

The Ethiopian Catholic Eparchy of Adigrat in Tigray is working to address these social problems and to educate young people especially about the risks involved in human smuggling and trafficking.

“The youth express a desire to migrate to Europe and Arab countries,” says the Reverend Negasi Yohannes, coordinator of the eparchy’s Youth Ministry Office. “It is challenging to convince them

that Ethiopia holds better prospects for their future.

“In their eyes, poverty and political instability make staying in Ethiopia seem like a perilous path, as great as the risks of death and other consequences during illegal migration.”

He works with parish youth groups, including with children as young as age 7, to raise awareness about the potential pros and cons of migration and the tactics used by human traffickers. He also presents the advantages, opportunities and impact they could make if they chose to stay and work in Ethiopia.

A migrant is seen aboard a ship, which rescued 194 migrants at sea on 4 August. The migrants had left Tunisia for Europe.

The challenge, then, is to ensure the facts of life in Ethiopia are more supportive of arguments in favor of staying rather than of leaving, he says. To this point, his office offers basic social support and a trauma recovery program, while teaching young people how to be selfsufficient. It also seeks to address other social factors that will enable young people to remain.

His primary focus is on university students, whose studies were

“Their awareness is limited to hearing some successful stories without fully understanding the reality of the route, the tactics used by traffickers and the risks involved.”

suspended when the universities were destroyed during the war. Since then, a rise in boredom, poverty, hopelessness, addiction, popular trends on social media and quick money-making schemes “encourage some young people to fall into traps,” strategically set by traffickers, and to run away from home, leaving on these migration routes without telling their parents, he explains.

Abba Negasi shares migrant horror stories that have made their way back to Adigrat, mostly from Saudi Arabia and Yemen, which is “where they go the most these days.”

“We were informed the day before yesterday of the death of a young man who traveled to Yemen and was killed there,” he says in early July. “We have heard about deaths in Saudi Arabia and Yemen.”

The priest describes the torture “these people are subjected to. … They confine those people and sexually abuse women. They restrain and torment the victims and force them to phone their own families. The victims scream and beg for money from their families to be delivered from the traffickers.”

If sufficient ransom is not delivered or does “not go to the right person at the right time … they may even murder those young kids, dismember their bodies or sell their organs for money,” he says. “There are no rules that prevent these young people from being mistreated.”

In their desire to alleviate current hardships, some young people will “resort to deceiving and betraying their friends or family members” by recruiting them and selling them to traffickers, he adds.

“These traffickers operate within a network, transporting these vulnerable children and young individuals through Afar and Djibouti, ultimately trafficking them to Yemen and Saudi Arabia,” he explains.

“Those who have received commissions do not remain here; they, too, aspire to travel abroad, influenced by the experiences of their peers,” he continues. “Their awareness is limited to hearing some successful stories without fully understanding the reality of the route, the tactics used by traffickers and the risks involved.”

These young people believe the rags-to-riches stories traffickers tell.

“However, the traffickers never inform them of the awful things that have happened to other people who have left,” Abba Negasi says. “They only realize this when they leave and see it with their own eyes. At that point, they would have reached a point where they cannot return home.”

At the root of the problem is ignorance about the realities of migration and about human dignity, Abba Negasi explains.

“The way we deal with that is, first, making it part of the church’s general mission internationally,” he says. “The Catholic Church is attempting to teach about human dignity.”

“Second, is fixing the community’s issues.”

The priest says his approach seeks to empower the young people and help them understand that human smuggling and trafficking are “inhumane treatment and the violation of their basic human rights.”

“Our focus is on equipping the youth with information and education, enabling them to develop a balanced perspective on these critical matters,” he says. “But the final decision and the results are up to them.”

Hikma A. Abdulmejid is a freelance journalist and lecturer in journalism and communications at Addis Ababa University in Ethiopia.

‘Maiden, arise ’ Catholic network

in Lebanon rescues women from trafficking

text by Arzé Khodr, with

Sister Marie Claude Naddaf, R.G.S., was 17 when she ran away from her home in Tartus, Syria, to join a congregation dedicated to promoting the welfare of women and girls.

“My parents were opposed to it,” she says. “They found me and brought me back before I could reach the convent and kept me prisoner in my room, but I decided to convince my father. After a while, he took me to Damascus and bought me an airplane ticket to Egypt, where I did my novitiate with the Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd.”

More than 50 years later, Sister Marie Claude’s tenacious spirit continues to serve her well as coordinator of Wells of Hope, a regional initiative of Talitha Kum, the Rome-based international network of religious sisters dedicated to combatting human trafficking. “Talitha kum,” translated into English as “Maiden, arise,” are the words Jesus spoke in Aramaic when he raised Jairus’s daughter from the dead.

With teams in Lebanon, Syria, Egypt and Jordan, Wells of Hope seeks to prevent human trafficking in the Mediterranean Basin and to help survivors heal and rebuild their lives.

According to the United Nations, 87 percent of detected trafficking victims in Middle Eastern countries in 2020, excluding those in the Gulf Cooperation Council, were women; most trafficking cases were related to sex trafficking and forced labor.

The 15-member team of staff and volunteers at Wells of Hope in Lebanon focuses mostly on “prevention through awareness,” says Sister Marie Claude.

“Our aim is to preserve the dignity of persons, to spread awareness about human trafficking,

Sister Marie Claude Naddaf, R.G.S., comforts a trafficking survivor in Beirut.

photographs by Raghida Skaff

to find ways of stopping it and to offer help to those who have been trafficked or abused,” she says.

Human trafficking and violence against women have been longstanding issues of concern for Sister Marie Claude. Prior to Wells of Hope, she had spent several years working on empowering women victims of domestic violence, first in Lebanon, then in Syria.

When appointed superior of the convent in Damascus in 1996, she started “Oasis Shelter” for victims of domestic abuse and human trafficking, as well as a related emergency hotline, and worked to raise awareness on these issues.

The shelter and hotline were both firsts in Syria, where the situation

international coordinator of Talitha Kum, which led to the founding of Wells of Hope a year later.

Social worker Nayiri Arslanian, among the first Wells of Hope team members in Lebanon, regularly leads interactive sessions aimed at raising awareness about human trafficking in some of Lebanon’s most vulnerable areas.

“From day one, we went to the people. We visited Palestinian refugee camps, the poorest neighborhoods, in all different parts of the country,” she says.

Ms. Arslanian always starts a session asking audience members what they know about human trafficking. At first, people are too

at a certain point tried to be a trafficker herself. Our work wasn’t easy, but we succeeded in getting her back on track.”

“This is God’s mercy,” says Sister Marie Claude about how these sessions have offered hope and help to trafficking victims. “Without them knowing, God puts on their way a person, a ray of hope that could help.”

Sheikha, whose name was changed to protect her privacy, is another trafficking victim who is being assisted by Wells of Hope.

“I can never heal from all I have been through,” she tells ONE. “But every morning I wake up and I thank God. I am grateful. I could have died like many other girls.”

for women and girls has worsened since the 10-year civil war and has been exacerbated by the earthquakes that struck the country in February, according to a 2023 report of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Statistics provided by the Syrian Network for Human Rights paint a horrific picture. From 2011, when the civil war began, to 2021, the N.G.O. reported 11,523 documented incidents of sexual violence against women and girls in Syria, 10,628 women and girls forcibly disappeared, and another 28,617 women and girls murdered.

Sister Marie Claude moved to Lebanon in 2011, when she was elected to a six-year term as provincial superior of the Good Shepherd Sisters for Lebanon and Syria. In 2018, upon returning from a sabbatical year, she was invited to meet Sister Gabriella Bottani, then

shy to respond. Then, she explains that every time a person is being constrained to do something against his or her will, it is human trafficking. And she waits and observes the reactions.

It was in the context of a recent session that the social worker uncovered a case of human trafficking: A Syrian woman could not stop crying during the presentation; she did not know what she was enduring had a name or that anyone could help. She had entered Lebanon illegally, was living on the street and was coerced into sex trafficking. Wells of Hope helped her with rent for an apartment of her own and encouraged her to enroll in the Wells of Hope women’s empowerment program.

“It’s never easy to deal with trafficked persons,” says Ms. Arslanian. “They have been so deceived that they don’t trust anyone. This woman

Sheikah was lured into sex trafficking by a recruiter. She was held in a house against her will for six years by one of the most powerful prostitution networks in the country. Hers was a long and painful journey toward freedom. She later married and had a daughter, but her marriage was abusive. When her husband tried to kill her, she sought the help of a social worker and met Ms. Arslanian. Sheikah, too, enrolled in the women’s empowerment program.

Sexual exploitation has increased across the board among migrant and local populations in Lebanon in recent years, says Ms. Arslanian. According to the U.S. Department of State’s Sister Wardeh Kayrouz, F.M.M., heads a nursery and day care in Nabaa, Lebanon.

“It is in the best interest of children that they be in school,

2023 Trafficking in Persons Report for Lebanon, the “combined impact” of Lebanon’s economic and financial crises, as well as COVID-19 restrictions, “increased the vulnerability of Lebanese nationals to trafficking.”

However, Ms. Arslanian notes a particular increase of sexual exploitation among migrant domestic workers, contracted under the “kafala” or sponsorship system in Middle Eastern countries, where an employer has almost total control over a worker’s life. These workers often face difficult circumstances and are vulnerable to trafficking and other forms of abuse.

“Their employers can’t pay them anymore, and they can’t make

enough money, so we see more and more of them on the streets,” she explains. “Once they are on the streets, they become easy prey for traffickers and now they face two issues at the same time.”

Child labor, as well as forced child labor, continue to increase in Lebanon, especially “among the Syrian refugee population,” according to the same U.S. Department of State report.

“Child labor is considered human trafficking,” explains Ms. Arslanian. “It is in the best interest of children that they be in school, but they are sent to work, and there, they are underpaid. Very often they are beaten by their employer. They have to work very long hours.”

Organ trafficking is also a growing issue of concern. Ms. Arslanian recounts the case of an 11-year-old child who asked his mother if selling his kidney would earn them enough money to quit his job.

“Many times, I end up doing parenting guidance,” she adds. “I understand that some people really need the money their children are earning, but they should send them to afternoon classes at least and check if the employer is treating their children well.”

The task ahead is huge.

Wells of Hope organizes regular daylong awareness campaigns, in collaboration with parishes, municipalities, social service institutions and other religious

but they are sent to work, and there, they are underpaid.”

groups. The program includes agespecific activities and special attention is given to social media as the primary tool recruiters use to attract new victims.

“The recruiter working for a bigger boss knows how to recognize easy prey,” says Ms. Arslanian. “He immediately spots a girl who has never learned to say no in her life.”

She tells the story of a 15-year-old girl who was intercepted at the Lebanese border thanks to the efforts of Wells of Hope. She had

met a man online and had fallen prey to a sex trafficking network. Going up against international human trafficking networks is dangerous and Sister Marie Claude never uses a personal phone number or personal email address. A member of her team was once attacked after an awareness session for children. Still, the team continues its work.

In the four years since its founding, Wells of Hope has helped seven women escape trafficking

and start their path toward healing. The most recent victim was a domestic worker who left her home country in the Horn of Africa 15 years ago to work in an Arab country and then went missing. Her mother had been searching for her, but without success. After Sister Marie Claude received a phone call

Dalal Atallah’s daughter attends the day care of the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary in Nabaa, Lebanon.

“We stand by you, you are not alone. We have to be strong and face adversity together.”

about the case, indicating that the missing woman might be in Lebanon, she immediately started an investigation.

“When we found and recognized her, she had no legal documents,” says Sister Marie Claude. “We worked and God helped, and we were able to get her to her country’s embassy, and then to her country.

“Her mother sent a message saying: ‘Today I was born again and was given life again. You gave life to me and you gave life to my daughter.’ ”

Empowering women and providing them the support they need to have regular employment and not fall prey to exploitation is at the heart of the work of Sister Wardeh Kayrouz, F.M.M. She heads the nursery and day care of the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary in Nabaa, a poor neighborhood of Beirut.

The nursery was founded in 1966, after a Franciscan sister learned that a mother had tied up her son at home because she had no one to care for him while she was at work. Since then, the nursery has welcomed the neighborhood’s poorest children, regardless of race or creed. It currently welcomes 50 children, from six months to 3 years old.

“This nursery was created to help working moms and for children to be in a safe place,” says Sister Wardeh.

Over the years, many domestic workers have enrolled their children at the day care, including Nancy Kano from Nigeria. She and her husband have been living in Lebanon for 16 years.

“All my children went to this nursery, all five of them. The sisters help a lot,” says Mrs. Kano, whose youngest daughter is currently enrolled there.

Before admitting a child, Sister Wardeh studies their file and visits

the family. She knows all the children’s families, as well as many other families in the neighborhood.

Prior to Lebanon’s economic crisis, more than 80 percent of the children at the day care were of migrant workers or were unregistered children, that is, children born outside of marriage and therefore without legal documents. The war in Syria saw an increase in the number of children of Syrian refugees. However, this year, Lebanese children represent almost 50 percent of the enrollment for the first time since the day care’s founding due to financial hardship.

Priority is given to children who were not registered at birth, as they do not have any legal documents and will not find another nursery — or later a school — that will accept them, making them vulnerable to exploitation. Sister Wardeh assists in the process of getting them birth certificates.

“The mission of our congregation is to stand by the people in the society in which we live,” she says. “We see how we can help and support the people around us wherever we are.”

Aside from her work at the nursery, she collaborates with a team of seven, among them two social workers, a nurse and a psychologist, that offers psychosocial support to 270 families in difficult situations. They also organize family trips and special activities for children.

“In a very difficult reality, we help people to take a different look at their lives and to try to find a solution for their problems on their own,” she says. “Of course, the needs are huge and what we do is not enough, but it’s our way of telling them, ‘We stand by you, you are not alone. We have to be strong and face adversity together.’ ”

Arzé Khodr is a freelance writer and playwright, based in Beirut.

The Last Word

Perspectives From the President

by Msgr. Peter I. Vaccari

Wherever I have traveled in CNEWA’s world, I have witnessed the church confront the scourge of human trafficking, from preventative programs in the Caucasus and Eastern Europe to efforts to heal and restore hope in the Middle East, Northeast Africa and southwestern India.

CNEWA, as it seeks to answer the question put to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor,” has long funded the church’s outreach among those vulnerable to exploitation. These include initiatives that raise awareness of this growing social problem as well as programs offering protection and healing to survivors — all in hope that this open wound, on its victims and on society, is not the final word.

This edition of ONE is dedicated to the issue of trafficking in persons and the church’s own role in the war against what Pope Francis has called a “crime against humanity.”

Olivia Poust, a member of ONE ’s editorial team, opens with a brief survey of the history of human trafficking and its multiple forms, explains the sociopolitical and economic factors driving trafficking and presents the work of the church to offer healing and hope.

In her letter from the United Nations, Good Shepherd Sister Winifred Doherty, writes about the efforts of Catholic religious and representatives of other nongovernmental organizations in advocating for laws and programs that will contribute to the prevention and elimination of human trafficking.

The war in Ukraine has ignited significant concern about an increase in human trafficking. The movement of people — internally displaced persons and refugees who have fled Ukraine to neighboring countries, especially women and children — has created a new and very vulnerable population. Claudia Ciobanu traces this tragic story and the efforts of the church in Poland to address and prevent this horrific crime.

In Armenia, the problem grows as men leave to find work in Russia, some of whom are held against their will and prevented from returning. Their wives and

“Human trafficking disfigures dignity.”

children are bereft, left without a husband, father and provider. Some of these mothers have fallen prey to sex trafficking to provide for the basic needs of their children. Gohar Abrahamyan reports on the courageous work of Caritas Armenia and the Armenian Sisters of the Immaculate Conception, who seek to offer women better opportunities while helping to support their children with basic needs.

Civil unrest, socioeconomic instability and natural disasters in Northeast Africa have driven away millions of people in search of a better life, exposing them to human trafficking. Hikma A. Abdulmejid reports on the work of the church, especially Jesuit Refugee Service in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and the Youth Ministry Office of the Eparchy of Adigrat in Ethiopia’s Tigray region. Through their efforts to warn, educate and prevent trafficking among the young, they work to end trafficking of human beings in its many forms.

Throughout the Middle East, religious women, such as the Good Shepherd Sisters and the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary, have been at the forefront of efforts to end human trafficking. Good Shepherd Sister Marie Claude Naddaf has worked for decades among women vulnerable to exploitation in Syria, Lebanon and Jordan. From Beirut, Arzé Khodr writes about Sister Marie Claude’s work as the coordinator of Wells of Hope, the Middle East office of Talitha Kum, a network of religious sisters dedicated to ending trafficking and caring for survivors. This 5 December, Sister Marie Claude will join us as our guest of honor at CNEWA’s second annual gala dinner.

Trafficking in human persons is global, and to end such a pervasive crime demands a global response from bodies, such as the United Nations, partnered with the persevering single voice of the church.

The U.N. identifies the eradication of trafficking and exploitation of human persons among the targets of three of the 17 sustainable development goals by the year 2030. To advance such efforts, one must acknowledge the role of the Holy See’s Permanent Observer Mission to the United Nations. Among its efforts in advocacy, it hosted a public partnership agreement forged between the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Santa Marta Group, which draws together law enforcement, civil society and the Catholic Church to eliminate human trafficking and modern-day slavery. At the event on 15 February,

Archbishop Gabriele Caccia, permanent observer of the Holy See to the United Nations, noted that “trafficking in persons is a crime and a violation of the victims’ dignity, human rights and fundamental freedoms.”

For more than a century, the Catholic Church has raised an unwavering and consistent call for the end to all forms of trafficking, slavery, prostitution, disgraceful working conditions and any factor violating the dignity of all human persons. Lengthy discourses and messages from Popes Leo XIII to John Paul II, Benedict XVI and Francis have echoed the consistent voice of the church.

“Human trafficking disfigures dignity,” said Pope Francis for the Ninth International Day of Prayer and Awareness Against Human Trafficking this year. “And the system of trafficking exploits the injustice and inequality that forces millions of people to live in conditions of vulnerability … Unfortunately, trafficking is growing at an alarming rate, affecting, above all migrants, women and children, young people like yourselves, people full of dreams and the desire to live in dignity.”

You are probably asking yourself, “But what can I do?” How can I partner with CNEWA as an agency of healing and hope? Join us in heartfelt daily prayer! Nothing surpasses the power of prayer. Join us in the dissemination of correct information. Be a regular reader of ONE magazine, which in June received 49 press awards from the Catholic Media Conference — the largest number of awards received by the magazine in its 49 years!

Be as generous as your means allow, make every effort to find new donors, and consider joining us on 5 December, as we recognize two heroes dedicated to eradicating trafficking. As noted, our guest of honor will be Sister Marie Claude Naddaf. The recipient of CNEWA’s Faith and Culture Award will be John J. Studzinski, C.B.E., renowned advocate for the victims of trafficking and slavery worldwide. If you wish more information, please visit www.cnewa.org/events

Thank you! Be assured of a place in my daily prayers at Mass, and always, implore our Blessed Mother for her intercession in the protection of the most vulnerable.

Peter I. Vaccari President, CNEWA

“But what can I do?”