Human Trafficking: The Catholic Response

Catholic E T A D P U

C1901A

© 2019 LIGUORI PUBLICATIONS, A REDEMPTORIST MINISTRY. ONE LIGUORI DRIVE LIGUORI, MO 63057-9999 800-325-9521 LIGUORI.ORG PHOTOCOPYING PROHIBITED.

JANUARY 2019

Human Trafficking THE CATHOLIC RESPONSE A Redemptorist Pastoral Publication Are these your assumptions about human trafficking? “That only happens overseas....It’s just in poor slums....Not in my neighborhood.”

If you find yourself nodding in agreement, you’re not alone. In reality, human trafficking— which includes sexual exploitation and forced labor—is at epidemic proportions in the United States and across the world.

SHUTTERSTOCK

EDITOR: ELIZABETH HERZING • DESIGN: WENDY BARNES

The facts reveal: • More than 100,000 minors are enslaved by traffickers yearly in the United States, two million worldwide.

• Traffickers make an average of $32 billion a year in the US and $150 billion worldwide.

• One trafficker with four victims under his control can make $1 million a year.

• Nationally, only 500 beds are available for victims who are rescued.

• High-profile sporting events—like the Super Bowl and World Cup matches, along with national political conventions—have become breeding grounds for massive trafficking.

• All neighborhoods are vulnerable, regardless of residents’ social status or income levels.

• The average age of first-time victims is thirteen for girls, twelve for boys.

and soul are abused in unimaginable ways. Your captor has made sure you never get close to anything that even remotely resembles a family or support system. You’re abandoned and alone. Nobody knows where you are. In your mind, you may feel as if nobody cares; your life is a living nightmare.

You might even wonder, Do I deserve this? But somewhere inside you know this abuse is ghastly, wrong, and criminal.

You know you’re better than this. But you have no idea how to get out. Your captor knows that and takes full advantage.

Then one day—freedom! Police burst in and protect you, at great risk to themselves. The trafficker is in custody. At long last, you’re safe. But what does this mean? You’re too ashamed to return home, which may have been a dangerous or toxic environment. And housing for children in your circumstance is extremely limited. Where do you go now?

Profile of a Trafficked Child Is there a typical profile of a trafficked child? It’s difficult to describe children who have been trafficked, since a shield of privacy must protect those who have been rescued. While Human trafficking can affect individuals of all ages; we can establish a generic composite, it’s important to however, it often involves enslavement of innocent children, remember that each victim is unique. who are especially vulnerable. As Catholics, we accept the Let’s examine a couple types of victims. We’ll call the reality that we are made in God’s image. The Catechism of the first one Sheila. Now age fourteen, she was first trafficked at Catholic Church elaborates on what this means. “Being in the age nine by her drug-dealing parents. The average lifespan image of God the human individual possesses the dignity of of a trafficking victim is seven years. Applying that data to a person, who is not just something, but someone” (CCC 357). Sheila, she won’t make it to twenty-one. Even if she’s rescued While Catholics may hold different opinions in regard to how or if she escapes, she’s likely to return to the only life she’s to best address some controversial issues that affect society, known: living on the streets as a sex slave. To make matters human trafficking has moral implications and is clearly a worse, victims like Sheila are often addicted to drugs or grave affront to the dignity of human persons. As such, it alcohol, infected with HIV or other sexually transmitted requires a singular response from Catholics: full resistance. diseases, and suicidal. Professional help and a healing refuge The natural response should be to save and protect. provide the only hope for a future for these children.

Furthermore, it’s imperative that we ask While Sheila stands at one end of the risk tough questions, like how are parishes being spectrum, at the other end is the overly protected educated on this issue? Are parents being victim. We’ll call her Myra. She lives a sheltered taught how to talk to their children? Are life with overprotective parents in a small town. we, as Catholics, working to prevent further She’s attracted to an older boyfriend who praises abuse and supporting heavier penalties her beauty and buys her expensive gifts, feeding for users and abusers? In Latin, adsum her dreams of a glamorous life. One day as she walks means, “I am here.” Across the centuries, no through the mall with her boyfriend, he suggests she’s matter what the evil has been, the Catholic so good at sex that she could earn money for it. Then community has been there to meet the comes the lure that’s hard to resist: “If you really challenge. While the problem may seem love me, you’ll do this for me,” he prods. Before While enormous and overwhelming, we can she has time to let the full implication of his poverty take deliberate, practical steps to address words sink in, he arranges for Myra to travel to and racism it. Let’s begin by forming a better another city, away from any support system or understanding of the victims. familiar network where she could ask for help. play parts, Sometimes victims like Myra are drugged to trafficking Meeting the Victims maintain submission. crosses class, Place yourself in the mind of a fifteenAs Debra Boyer of the Seattle Human year-old boy or girl. You live in terror Services Department writes, “No gender, and 24/7. Not of the typical worries of your curriculum…can provide an abused and ethnic lines. peers, like doing well on an algebra frightened fourteen-year-old child with the test, getting a prom date, or passing a cognitive ability and refusal skills to outthink driver’s license test. No. Some person a twenty-six-year-old offering love, money, or group owns you. Your body, mind, and care.” While poverty and racism play

What We Can Do Though we may consider ourselves far removed from the tragedy of human trafficking, it’s closer to home than most people suspect. That scandalous national secret could happen in our own neighborhoods. Here are some suggestions for how you can make a difference.

1.

Pray. Offer up in prayer the work of individuals and organizations devoted to providing rescue and healing for victims. “Ask people to pray for us,” says Leah KimblePrice, the director of Claire’s House in Oakland, CA. “Our community partners are important; our spiritual relationships are just as important.”

2.

Educate yourself and others.

Sponsor an event at your parish, school, or regional center, showing a film like Trafficked in the U.S. (Liguori Publications 2017, available at Liguori.org) or Chosen (Shared Hope International 2013, available at Sharedhope.org). Raising awareness about this horrific tragedy includes gathering and disseminating current facts and desanitizing the language— “slaveholder” is an accurate title for a trafficker.

3.

Speak up. Add the phone number for the National Human Trafficking Resource Center, 1-888373-7888, to your cell phone or make it readily available in your home. If you see anything suspicious, call.

4.

Have important conversations.

Parents and grandparents, teachers, coaches, or catechists of youth need to talk with them about healthy relationships, the signals of grooming, and power imbalances.

5.

Advocate for just legislation.

In some areas, the victim is criminalized while the buyer receives a misdemeanor charge. To see the legislation for your state, visit Sharedhope.org/what-we-do/bringjustice/reportcards#stats.

parts, trafficking crosses class, gender, and ethnic lines.

Sometimes it hits families with no financial need; their naïve child simply makes immature, dangerous decisions. Factors that increase vulnerability are low self-esteem, being abused or neglected, poverty, homelessness, and being entrenched in the foster-care system.

The Response of One Diocese Oakland, CA, is one of the US areas most heavily affected by trafficking, yet there are almost no beds available for rescued victims. Nancy O’Malley, district attorney for Alameda County—who has prosecuted more than 400 offenders locally—asked Bishop Michael Barber, SJ, for help. Bishop Barber responded by enlisting the help of the entire diocese.

Catholic Charities of East Bay began to investigate possible sites to help victims. Chuck Fernandez, executive director, wept when he first read about trafficking. Then he called his colleagues in the other 130-plus Catholic Charities nationally, none of which were offering a place of refuge.

It led to the mantra, “If this were easy, everyone would be doing it!” Undeterred by a thicket of state regulations for housing minors, the effort spread. Through Sunday announcements and talks from the pulpit by trained speakers, eighty-four parishes were informed about the effort. Regional workshops in English and Spanish offered in-depth information.

The result? In spring 2018, Claire’s House, a therapeutic

6.

Volunteer to be a mentor either to a survivor or to a parish. The US Conference of Catholic Bishops offers many resources, including an awareness toolkit. To learn more, visit usccb.org and search for “Anti-Trafficking Program Become a SHEPHERD.”

7.

Start a men’s group in your parish. Some groups are referred to as “A Bunch of Guys.” The discussions focus on how to dismantle misogyny, curtail male entitlement, and end the scandal of sex for sale.

Trafficked in the U.S. educates youth on identifying signs of potential exploitation and on what to do if exploitation occurs; and equips educators, faith communities, and parents, with simple and practical ways to respond. To order this DVD (product code 827747), call 800-325-9521 or visit Liguori.org.

living community for victims, opened. It’s named after DA Nancy O’Malley’s mother, who always welcomed an extra kid into her kitchen. Established under Catholic Charities of the East Bay, the home is open to young people between the ages of twelve and seventeen who have survived sexual exploitation and “demonstrate a commitment to moving forward and reclaiming their lives.”

Claire’s House is a safe environment of genuine love, hope, and healing. Referrals come from community and social service organizations. Leah Kimble-Price, the director, calls it a “revolutionary alternative. It offers radical intervention, not just a safe house, but also a home....Let’s give back to these children what was stolen in their childhood. To girls who had no access to peers or grandparents, we give friends, aunties, and grandmas—who also happen to be therapeutic counselors.”

The staff’s goals are to appreciate individual strengths, encourage self-determination, and offer opportunities to develop the skills needed for successful futures. The environment is as homey as possible. Each resident has his or her own room, which the resident is free to decorate. If she wants to cook her own meals, that’s arranged because it encourages self-sufficiency. “In institutions, a lot of work is done for residents, discouraging autonomy. We’re not here to save but to offer them a chance to rebuild their own lives, making as many good decisions as they can,” adds KimblePrice. To learn more, visit cceb.org/claires-house.

The Response of One Priest While celebrating Mass at St. Gerard Majella Church in Los Angeles in the early winter of 2014, after only being in the US for a few months, Fr. Vijay Kumar, CSsR, settled in to listen to a guest speaker who was scheduled to make an announcement at the end of the Mass to promote her book on human trafficking.

He recalls his predetermined mindset with clarity: “I presumed she was going to raise awareness and support for victims of human trafficking in Asia or Africa. I was wrong.

As I listened to shocking statistics of incidents in the US, I realized it was an American reality. The myths that I had previously believed about the US and human trafficking went up in smoke one by one.”

Fr. Vijay responded in a unique way. At the time, he was pursuing his master’s degree in film and television production at Loyola Marymount University and was required to produce a documentary. He wanted to tell this story. “I knew the primary motivation behind my commitment to this topic was my vocation. Redemptorists are missionaries of mercy. Our mission is to follow in the footsteps of our founder, St. Alphonsus Liguori, and serve ‘the most abandoned, especially the poor.’ The clarity of our mission would shape the story.”

Fr. Vijay produced the documentary Trafficked in the U.S. to uncover the hidden crime of human trafficking. He was very deliberate in his selection and execution of the material: “My intention wasn’t just to add one more gruesome story of sex-trafficking victims to the World Wide Web. I wanted the film to not only raise awareness, but also be part of the solution.” The film is presented in three parts: “True Stories of Human Trafficking”; “What Parents Need to Know”; and “Faith Communities Against Human Trafficking.”

The goal of the film, said Fr. Vijay, is to equip church communities, educators, and parents with the tools needed to protect the children they encounter. Plus it aims to inform youth and hopefully help sensitize them to the pitfalls that prevail around them. It offers simple and practical ways for all to respond to this tragic reality. The idea that human trafficking doesn’t occur in the US or that victims are not born here but shipped from far-away poor countries is one that should be dismissed immediately. Of every ten victims in the US, about eight or nine were born here. Learn more about this eye-opening film in “What We Can Do.” Let’s end on a note of hope. Chiara’s mother’s boyfriend began selling her when she was three to support his drug habit. She was rescued at six, but she was put in so many foster homes that she ran away. Picked up by the police at sixteen, she was ready for something different. She was able to get her high school education, received a full scholarship from Georgetown University, and was named an influential young woman by Time magazine.

In the genius of the mystical body, everyone can do something to end this tragedy, either through prayer or

practical involvement. The current time and circumstances present a unique challenge. Let the word go out boldly from the Catholic community: God’s children are not for sale.

SOURCES: LIGUORIAN, LIGUORI PUBLICATIONS, JANUARY 2018: “CHILDREN ENSLAVED” BY KATHY COFFEY; OCTOBER 2017: “TRAFFICKED IN THE U.S.: AN EYEOPENING FILM”.

A Day of Prayer Against Trafficking Honors Patron Saint February 8, the feast day of St. Josephine Margaret Bakhita, FDCC, is an annual day of prayer and awareness against human trafficking. Born in 1869 in what is now western Sudan, St. Josephine was known to have led a carefree life until, at around age seven, she was seized by Arab slave traders.

She suffered greatly in slavery.

Saint Josephine said of one owner: “I do not recall a day that passed without an injury of some sort. When a wound from the whip began to heal, other blows would pour down on me.” She also endured scarification, a process common throughout Sudan in which slaves had a pattern cut into their skin with a razor. The deep wounds were then filled with salt to ensure permanent scarring. Saint Josephine suffered 114 cuts into her breasts, stomach, and right arm.

After nearly twenty years of oppression, in a twist of fate, St. Josephine was left in the care of the Canossian Sisters in Venice, Italy. There, she encountered Christianity for the first time. She recalled: “Those holy mothers instructed me with heroic patience and introduced me to that God who FEBRUARY 8 from childhood I had felt in my heart THE FEAST DAY without knowing who he was.”

OF ST. JOSEPHINE She converted to Catholicism and MARGARET BAKHITA, FDCC, entered the novitiate.

IS AN ANNUAL

DAY OF PRAYER Saint Josephine took her vows as a AND AWARENESS Canossian Sister in 1896. She was AGAINST HUMAN known to have a missionary zeal TRAFFICKING. and a cheerful and grateful heart.

She died in 1947. Adopted as the patron saint of Sudan and human trafficking survivors, St. Josephine’s legacy shows that transformation is possible through suffering. She was canonized in October 2000.

IMPRIMATUR: MOST REVEREND MARK S. RIVITUSO, AUXILIARY BISHOP, ARCHDIOCESE OF ST. LOUIS, NOVEMBER 13, 2018.

Permission to publish is an indication that nothing contrary to Church teaching is contained in this work.

It does not imply any endorsement of the opinions expressed in the publication; nor is any liability assumed by this permission.

Scripture texts in this work are from New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Washington, DC

Please share or recycle this Catholic Update.

C