Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Rome (Fides Service)- Sexual exploitation is the main form of slavery in the 21st century and the United States is determined with the help of other countries to fight this turbid trade. This emerged from a video conference on 30 June at the American Embassy to the Holy See in Rome, a representative of Fides was there.
Speaking from Washington John R. Miller Director of the US State Department Office to control and eliminate human trafficking held a conference with both Rome based American Embassies to Italy and to the Holy See.
Ambassador Miller illustrated America’s plan aimed on the one hand at combating criminal organisations which thrive on this trade and on the other to assist victims of commercial sexual exploitation, mostly women and children. With regard to the second point there emerged the importance of collaboration between governments and NGOs, many of religious inspiration, to help women and children involved to escape from this infernal circle. Italian Consolata Missionary Sister Eugenia Bonetti, responsible for initiatives undertaken by the Union of Major Religious Superiors in Italy (USMI), to stop trafficking in human beings, reported on the activity in Italy of 250 Sister working to assist women and children victims of this trafficking. Sister Eugenia Bonetti was mentioned in a report issued by the American Department of State as one of 6 eminent personalities working in various parts of the world with courage and total abnegation to fight this sad phenomenon.
Besides assisting victims and tracking down criminal organisations involved in human trafficking, the United States have adopted a policy to punish and educate the client of sex slaves. In San Francisco, and several other cities, special “schools” have been opened where clients caught in the act are educated to recuperate a correct sense of their sexuality.
Repression, education, assistance for victims, collaboration between states and charity organisations, new state and international laws to punish those responsible for commercial sexual exploitation. All this is important but it is also necessary to tackle at the root the problem of poverty from which this trafficking draws vital sap. This was said by Mgr. Frank Dewane of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace who underlined the urgent need to cancel the international debts of poor countries, cause of so many social dramas including that of human trafficking. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 1/7/2004, righe 36 parole 447)
