Human Trafficking

Human trafficking, which includes sexual exploitation and forced labor, is at epidemic proportions in the United States and across the world. While poverty and racism play parts, trafficking crosses class, gender, and ethnic lines. Human trafficking means the enslavement of innocent children, made in God’s image, who bear within the spark of the divine. If we believe children are sacred, then our Catholic response should be to save and protect them.

It’s imperative that we ask the tough questions, such as: How are parishes being educated on this issue? Are parents being taught how to inform their children? Are we, as Catholics, working to prevent further abuse, and supporting heavier penalties for users and abusers?

This Catholic Update discusses what Catholics parishes and agencies, such as the Diocese of Oakland and Fr. Charles Vijay Kumar, CSsR, are already doing to fight human trafficking. It also offers practical suggestions on how you can join the fight.

Join the Redemptorists each February 8, the feast day of St. Josephine Margaret Bakhita, FDCC, in an annual day of prayer and awareness against human trafficking. St. Josephine was a Canossian Daughter of Charity, Sister of the Poor.