Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Rome (Agenzia Fides) – An important decision marked the closing of an International Meeting for Women Religious on the tragedy of human trafficking (see Fides 15/6/2009; 17/6/2009). The final day of the meeting saw the birth of Talità Kum (Arise) International Network of Consecrated Life to Combat Human Trafficking. The proposal was unanimously approved by the 2009 Congress “Religious Women Against Human Trafficking”. Talità Kum were the words used by Jesus when he addressed the young daughter of Jairus, who was dead, and the girl immediately rose from her bed (cf. Mk 5,41).
The Vatican's Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, 'supports and encourages' the initiative: said Sr Enrica Rosanna, of the Salesian Sisters of Mary Help of Christians, under- secretary of the Congregation. “In recent years – the nun explained at meeting – the phenomenon of human trafficking had changed face, route and methods; however despite different forms of crime, different methods to combat it and to rehabilitate victims, to promote awareness and solutions, the persistent danger of exploitation of human persons, specially women and minors with the consequent reduction to slavery and submission, remains”. Moreover “the various criminal Mafia groups continually change strategies to gain more and more profit through recruitment of young victims for the popular sex for payment market and in relation to minors also exploitation for illegal labour”. “Increasingly – said Sr Enrica Rosanna - women religious are among those working to provide human, psychological and spiritual assistance to women in temporary care centres. This rich panorama which testifies to prophetic caritas; a panorama which impels us to intensify the network of good energies of Consecrated Life for a fruitful future and for the ransom of human dignity ”.
The Meeting mandated a work-group to take the first steps towards building an international network internazionale able to influence civil society and governments. Governments, the Meeting underlined, need to be sensitised because they opt for the shorter path of repression and fail to see that illegal immigration is often a mask for human trafficking. Public opinion must be helped not to close its eyes to the many tragic human situations which led to illegal immigration.
The solution, said Peter Schatzer, head of International Organisation for Migration IOM mission in Italy, is to intensify collaboration between the International Union of Religious Superiors General and the IOM first example of cooperation between a Church body and a secular body at the world level, through “the modality of a network” to help Religious Congregations interact at the world and regional level with governments and international organisations. In this sense, the meeting highlighted another important aspect: to combat human trafficking often masked by illegal immigration, there must be continual dialogue between countries of arrival, countries of origin and countries of transit. Initiatives taken by the Meeting included: construction of a web page on the issue, support for initiatives to combat human trafficking launched by women religious in South Africa in view of the next World Football Championship and women religious in Canada in view of the Winter Olympics in Vancouver. The Meeting gave a unanimous mandate to international coordination to take the necessary steps to promote a World Day to combat human trafficking to flank the European Day to be held on 18 October. (Mtp) (Agenzia Fides 19/6/2009; righe 40, parole 561)
