In early March, Catholic Sisters Week shines a light on the faith, spirituality, mission, and community building of women religious internationally. To recognize Catholic sisters, this dialogue lifted up their critical work to address and eliminate human trafficking, which threatens the lives, dignity, and hopes of so many vulnerable people, especially women. Human trafficking is on the rise in many parts of the world, victimizing over 25 million children and adults, with an estimated 80% in forced labor and 20% in sex trafficking. According to the Alliance to End Human Trafficking (formerly the U.S. Catholic Sisters Against Human Trafficking), human trafficking thrives because of a web of social injustice and human apathy. The Catholic Church publicly condemns human trafficking while working toward its elimination. Catholic sisters care for victims and survivors, seek to rebuild the lives of those affected by it, and work for the elimination of human trafficking.
The Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life and the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs at Georgetown University brought together four outstanding leaders in this vital work to explore questions such as:
- What is human trafficking? How and why does it happen? What do you find is often most misunderstood about human trafficking?
- Why is addressing human trafficking a priority for your ministry and the work of your community? What do you do and why? How does your congregation provide support to those who have been victimized by trafficking?
- How do you understand the ways in which your faith and the principles of Catholic social teaching call you and all of us to resist and oppose human trafficking?
- How do we identify trafficking in our communities, and how do we respond to it?
- What economic, social, or policy factors make human trafficking possible? What needs to change to eliminate those contributing factors?
Kimberly Mazyck (SFS’90), associate director of the Initiative, moderated the conversation. Kimberly has served in key positions at Catholic Relief Services, Catholic Charities USA, and the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur East-West Province.
This Public Dialogue was co-sponsored by the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs.
