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 self-determination, 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.
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.
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