Human Trafficking Awareness Day

January 11th is Human Trafficking Awareness Day. This document created by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Orange shares more on human trafficking, a structured prayer calendar, and information on the National Human Trafficking Hotline (888-373-7888).

On Saturday, January 23, 2021 a play, The True Cost: Stories of Human Trafficking, will be held from 3:00pm-5:00pm. Note that registration via email is required by January 19th to attend.

More on Human Trafficking provided by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Orange:

Also known as trafficking in persons or modern-day slavery, this is a crime that involves compelling or coercing a person to provide labor or services, or to engage in commercial sex acts. The coercion can be subtle or overt, physical or psychological, according to the federal definition provided by the US Dept. of Justice.

Traffickers prey on individuals who are poor, vulnerable, living in an unsafe or unstable situation, or are in search of a better life. In the U.S., victims include some of the most vulnerable populations: American Indian/Alaska Native communities, lesbian-gay-bisexual-transgender-questioning individuals, individuals with disabilities, undocumented migrants, runaway and homeless youth, temporary guest-workers and low-income individuals. –adapted from International Rescue Committee

During COVID-19, traffickers have created innovative ways to take advantage of the pandemic to target vulnerable victims. In particular, the pandemic has surfaced systemic and deeply rooted economic inequalities – a root cause of human trafficking.

Sister Josephine Bakhita