Print Edition: 01/14/2010
By Archbishop John Vlazny
Last year Ed Langlois of the Sentinel wrote a news story about human trafficking here in Oregon. What is it? For all practical purposes human trafficking is a new name for good old-fashioned slave trade, a criminal offense by anyone’s standards today. More specifically, human trafficking is the illegal trade of human beings for the purposes of commercial sexual exploitation or forced labor. Human trafficking is the fastest growing criminal industry in the world, second only to the drug trade. Victims are young children, teenagers, men and women. They are subjected to force, fraud or coercion. Many victims are compelled to work in prostitution or the sex entertainment industry. Trafficking also occurs in forms of labor exploitation, for example, domestic servitude, restaurant and janitorial work, sweatshop factory work and migrant agricultural work.
In many respects human trafficking is a shadow industry. Not many folks know anything about it. I suspect many Oregon citizens would be surprised to discover that it does indeed exist here in our own state. Experts estimate that more than 18,000 persons are trafficked into the United States annually for sexual exploitation or forced labor. Our own Catholic Charities of Portland works hard to provide intensive case management and legal services to survivors of human trafficking, to aid them in successfully navigating all aspects of the legal and social services system of our nation, with the ultimate goal of self-sufficiency and self-empowerment for the survivor.
The problem goes far beyond the borders of our own nation. Our own country’s state department estimates that 600,000 to 800,000 men, women and children are trafficked across international borders each year. Migration and Refugee Services of our United States Conference of Catholic Bishops estimates conservatively that about one-third of foreign born victims trafficked into this country are children. United States citizens themselves are sometimes trafficked within our own borders, but the estimates are not readily available.
Because the Catholic Church is a global institution, it certainly is well positioned to respond to human trafficking. This crime is clearly an offense against human dignity and fundamental human rights. It is indeed modern slave trade at work in our midst. Presently a coalition of more than Catholic organizations against human trafficking has been established to eliminate this scourge from our midst. Members are concerned about formulating plans for combating trafficking and helping victims, dialoging with government officials and others about public policies in this matter and, something uppermost in my own mind in sharing these thoughts, devising strategies for public education, awareness-raising and grassroots action.
Because human trafficking is clearly a modern-day form of slavery, a number of Catholics are now suggesting that St. Josephine Bakhita, a slave herself, be designated as a special patron for victims of trafficking. She was a Roman Catholic nun of African origin who lived and ministered in Italy for 45 years. She was declared a saint by Pope John Paul II on Oct. 1, 2000. We learn that at the age of 9 she was kidnapped by Arab slave traders and over the next eight years was sold and resold five times in the markets of El Obid and Khartoum. She suffered much brutality and finally achieved some measure of human respect when she was purchased by her final owner, an Italian diplomat. Eventually she was left in the custody of the Canossian Sisters and was baptized at the age of 21.
A petition has been sent to the Vatican requesting that St. Josephine become the official patroness of trafficking victims. Here in the archdiocese there is interest in setting aside Feb. 8, the feast of St. Josephine, every year as a day of prayer and penance for victims of trafficking. This year a prayer service will be held at St. Mary’s Cathedral in Portland on that date for these victims. All are welcome to attend. It is my hope that similar prayer services will eventually be held in other churches across the archdiocese on this feast, another way of highlighting the seriousness of the crime and the desperate need for conversion on the part of individuals who are engaged in this horrendous practice.
What are some of the indicators that a person has indeed been trafficked? Our Catholic Charities offers some key questions which helps determine if a person has been trafficked: Are you being forced to work against your will? Can you leave your job if you want to? Have you or your family been threatened? Where do you sleep and eat? Are there locks on the door/windows so you cannot get out? Has your identification documentation been taken from you? Activities that are typical for persons who are victims of trafficking include agricultural work, domestic work, restaurant work, garment work, entertainment and sex industry, begging, use in criminal activities and forced prostitution.
What many survivors of human trafficking don’t know and need to know is that they are eligible for public benefits and immigration legal status. Back in 2000 our country passed a Protection Act for such victims which assures them that they are not to be treated as criminals, but as crime victims, entitled to governmental protection and assistance. It doesn’t matter how these persons entered our country, even if they initially agreed to be brought here for a job or if their current employment activity is illegal. If they were ever deceived or forced into forced labor or into the commercial sex industry, they are survivors of human trafficking. Most victims don’t even know they’ve been trafficked or are entitled to assistance.
This coming weekend our nation will be observing a holiday to commemorate the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. His very successful campaign to promote the civil rights of all people, irrespective of race, ethnicity or religion, occurred many decades after the outlawing of slavery as a legal institution in this country. Unfortunately, slavery perdures and many of us remain blissfully unaware. I encourage you to learn more about this crime and the efforts being made in our state and nation to combat it. Furthermore, I ask you to pray through the intercession of St. Josephine Bakhita for all victims of human trafficking, that they will be freed from their captivity and that their rights will be restored.
Modern slave trade | Catholic Sentinel
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