Highlighting the life, suffering and enduring hope of St.
Josephine Bakhita, a Sudanese slave, Washington Auxiliary
Bishop Martin D. Holley called for reflection and action to
combat modern-day slavery during his homily on the first
International Day of Prayer and Awareness Against Human
Trafficking Feb. 8.
We must “do everything in our power through the corporal and
spiritual works of mercy to eradicate human trafficking,” the
bishop told the nearly 1,000 people – including trafficking
survivors – gathered for the noon Mass at the Basilica of the
National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington.
Held on the feast of St. Bakhita, the day was designated by
the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace and the
International Union of Superiors General. Last year, the U.S.
Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Migration and Refugee
Services organized a national day of prayer for victims and
survivors of human trafficking, and it spearheaded this
year’s liturgy at the shrine.
The day offered the fruits of “compounded prayer” and was an
opportunity to shed light on a pervasive tragedy, said Hilary
Chester, associate director of the U.S. bishops’
Anti-Trafficking Program, in an interview Feb. 6.
According to the United Nation’s International Labor
Organization, there are nearly 21 million human trafficking
victims worldwide.
Chester said that while there’s been increased education and
awareness, human trafficking is increasing.
In the United States, victims of labor trafficking are “all
around us” in poorly regulated industries like agriculture,
in-home domestic work, nursing home work and the food-service
industry. Sex trafficked victims can be foreign nationals,
but they also are U.S. citizens, often children who are in
abusive homes or foster care situations. “You see it all
across the board,” said Chester.
In his homily, Bishop Holley told the story of St. Bakhita,
who was born in 1869 and enslaved as a child. Beaten and
whipped nearly every day, St. Bakhita eventually was brought
to Italy and freed with the help of the Canossian Daughters
of Charity, an order she later joined. Canonized in 2000, she
has been proposed as the patron saint of victims and
survivors of human trafficking.
The bishop emphasized that human trafficking involves
everyone and quoted Pope Francis’ apostolic exhortation
“Evangelii Gaudium” (“The Joy of the Gospel”). The pope
writes that many are guilty of “comfortable and silent
complicity” in relation to the crime and have “blood on their
hands.”
The Holy Father spoke about the global issue during his
Sunday Angleus Feb. 8.
He asked for help for “the many men, women and children who
are enslaved, exploited, abused as instruments of labor or of
pleasure, who are often tortured and mutilated.” And he asked
government leaders to act decisively “to remove the causes of
this shameful wound … a wound that is unworthy of
civil society.”
About a dozen women who know such wounds firsthand were
present at the shrine Mass and helped carry up the gifts
during the offertory.
The women, all highly educated teachers from the Philippines,
were lured to the United States by recruiters with promises
of a better life.
Because of corruption and a poor economy in the Philippines,
may people are forced to migrate, according to Jo Quiambao,
secretary general for Gabriela DC, a grassroots organization
that works with Filipina human trafficking survivors.
Illegal recruiters use sophisticated tactics to exploit the
situation in the island nation, and high-level government
agencies are involved, often approving fraudulent travel
documents, said Quiambao during a reception after Mass.
Such was the case with around 300 women – 200 now in D.C. –
who were promised lucrative teaching jobs in the United
States. After selling their homes and exhausting their
savings to come to the states, the women found themselves
jobless, moneyless and with illegal status.
The U.S. bishops’ Anti-Trafficking Program is working with
Gabriela DC to connect the women to social services and to
educate and empower them.
Quiambao said the international day of prayer is “essential
because it helps survivors heal, and because they are
encouraged by knowing other people care – that they are not
alone.” She said it also affirms the need to speak out
against the crime.
Along with Gabriela DC, a number of representatives from
coalitions and organizations attended the Mass, including the
Mid-Atlantic Coalition Against Modern Slavery. Composed
primarily of women religious, it focuses on advocacy and
education while providing some direct service to victims.
Coalition member Sister Carol Ries, of the Sisters of the
Holy Names of Jesus and Mary, said human trafficking is an
issue that should be close to all Catholics’ heart. It’s a
“pro-life issue,” she said. “It’s about respect for women and
children; it’s about human rights.”
In partnership with the USCCB, Catholic Charities USA and
Catholic Charities of the Washington Archdiocese, the
National Catholic School of Social Service at Catholic
University in Washington will host a two-day conference on
human trafficking this July. Will Rainford, dean of the
school, said the conference will raise awareness among
priests, diocesan leaders and lay staff who come into contact
with victims.
Chester hopes this year’s day of prayer motivates “Catholics
in the pews” to discern their own ability to fight human
trafficking, whether through volunteering, material
donations, awareness-raising or working to change and enforce
laws. “There are a lot of opportunities,” she said, “where
people can start making a difference.”
Find out more
For USCCB human trafficking resources, including ways to
help, go here. For information on
“Become a Shepherd,” the bishops’ parish-based education and
training program, go here.
