Human trafficking Archives

Migrants: Church leaders criticize Italy for tightening its grip on NGOs

Church leaders have spoken up in defense of NGOs operating search and rescue missions for migrants in the Mediterranean, calling for the creation of safe channels for refugees who wish to come to Italy and criticizing some of the provisions within the ‘code of conduct’ that the state asked NGOs to sign in order to continue their work at sea.

Diocese in Philippines will “fully cooperate” after priest arrested for child prostitution

After the arrest of a priest for hiring a child prostitute, the Diocese of Antipolo in the Philippines issued a statement saying it “condemns in the strongest terms possible the trafficking in persons,” adding that “history will prove the claim that the Church, at various times in its history, has been the liberation of trafficked persons.”

Pope calls human trafficking ‘brutal, cruel and criminal’

Pope Francis has made the fight against human trafficking, one of the largest illegal industries in the world with estimated profits estimated annually at $32 billion, one of the highest social and political priorities of his papacy. On Sunday, a U.N.-sponsored day against trafficking, the pontiff blasted it as “brutal, cruel and criminal.”

Legal paths for migration help stop trafficking, Catholic groups say
- Catholic News Service, Global Church
- July 30, 2017
Coming together to write a joint statement against human trafficking, many Catholic organizations say that one key thing is to create “safe, legal, and responsible migration pathways” for people. They emphasize that the poorest and most desperate migrants are likely to fall into the hands of traffickers and be exploited and abused.
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Deaths in smuggler’s truck ‘completely senseless,’ Texas archbishop says
- Catholic News Agency, Church in the US
- July 24, 2017
After nine people died due to heat in what appeared to be an immigrant smuggler’s truck parked near a Walmart in San Antonio, Catholic leaders speak up against what they are calling “an incomprehensible tragedy.” The local archbishop expressed hope that this might call people not only to tears, but to action.
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Anti-trafficking bill passes first hurdle
- Catholic News Service, Church in the US
- July 17, 2017
A proposed law would allot $94 million over four years to the Department of Health and Human Services to provide trafficking victims who are U.S. citizens or legal permanent residents with short- and long-term housing options, substance abuse treatment, mental health counseling, educational opportunities, job training and skills development, legal advocacy, and financial advocacy and counseling.
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