What is
Human Trafficking?
Simply stated, human trafficking is the exploitation of others and can take many forms. A person can be trafficked through force, fraud or coercion for labor, commercial sexual acts, and other services. Victims may be held captive physically, through psychological control, or by threats that make it impossible for them to leave their situation.
Trafficking can occur anywhere—including your own community. People fleeing war, poverty, political persecution and climate disasters are overwhelmingly susceptible to trafficking. A 2022 report from the International Labour Organization estimates that globally 27.6 million people are in forced labor at any given time. Of this number, 4.9 million women and girls are in situations of forced commercial sexual exploitation.
Significance to the Sisters
Human trafficking inflicts injury on many levels. It degrades dignity, deprives people of their right to work and self-fulfillment, and weakens the global human community.
As women religious, we profess God’s love for all creation, especially to those who are suffering, vulnerable and marginalized. We respond by meeting immediate needs and working for systemic change. Through our ministries and presence, we seek to create societies of justice and support the flourishing of all peoples.
In our corporate stand on this issue, we denounce human trafficking as immoral and urge societies and governments to do more to eradicate this modern form of slavery.
Our Response to Trafficking
The Sisters of the Holy Cross address human trafficking through advocacy, prevention, intervention and reintegration.
Advocacy
Holy Cross sisters meet with and petition members of their national and local governments to enact policies that inhibit trafficking, protect survivors, and increase prosecution of traffickers. In social service agencies, we receive survivors and connect them with legal services and other resources and supports. Our membership with Talitha Kum, the International Network of Consecrated Life Against Human Trafficking, inspires collaborations with religious and lay partners around the world. Together, we raise awareness of human trafficking and partner for social and governmental reforms.
Prevention
Our sisters work to stem the growing crisis of human trafficking by addressing it proactively. For instance, in nations with limited employment opportunities, people looking for work are often lured by false job advertisements that result in forced servitude. Getting ahead of these threats, we create public service announcements and radio programs, visit schools and organize community meetings. By increasing awareness of human trafficking and sharing warning signs of predatory operations, we hope to prevent the loss of more lives and futures.
Intervention
Through our civic involvement, we join information networks with families, survivors, government officials, communities and other religious. These connections have resulted in life-saving interventions.
Reintegration
Those who escape or return after being trafficked encounter steep obstacles. Traumatic experiences often cause withdrawal from others and detachment from one’s own thoughts and feelings. Injuries may limit their ability to work. In some cultures, survivors are ostracized by their communities and families.
With health professionals and other lay and religious partners, we offer survivors safety, dignity, and healing. Alongside counseling and health services, our sisters serve as mediators, helping individuals reconcile with loved ones and come to love themselves. We also offer skills training opportunities to help people get back on their feet. And through listening circles, we invite survivors to hold space for their grief and pain and let others help carry it. In these shared experiences, survivors are finding and creating communities of care and support.