~ by Ir. Glória Caixeta, MSC, Uganda

The essence of Love – Talitha Kum – Get up! Facing human trafficking is our commitment! Everyone needs decent housing that can be called home!

I have been involved in the fight against Human Trafficking since 2006 when I participated in the first training for Religious promoted by the Religious Conference of Brazil at the request of the International Union Superiors General (UISG). In the beginning I was very curious as I had never heard about human trafficking. The only trafficking I knew of was that of drugs, and how complicated and compromising it was for the people involved in it.  Moreover for all the communities that were under the command of drug dealers especially on the outskirts of large cities.

In 2007, I participated in the foundation of the “Rede Um Grito pela Vida” (A Cry for Life) network, which today operates in all Brazilian States, mainly with the prevention, awareness and visibility of crime.What is not seen, is believed to not exist, therefore one of the network’s objectives worldwide is to give visibility to this “new form of slavery” (quoting as Pope Francis has termed human trafficking).

In 2018/2019 I had the opportunity to participate in the first Training Course for Leaders, promoted by another international network “Talitha Kum”, linked to UISG and based in Rome. The course, part online and part face-to-face, was based on the network’s spirituality and focused on various women of the Gospel: Mary and Isabel, the bent woman and others, as a reference of how we should welcome and work with victims of human trafficking. The social doctrine of the Church, sociology, aspects of psychology and anthropology, among others were themes developed during the course.  The two face-to-face sessions were extremely rich in content, with various networks sharing on what they were doing globally.

At the end of 2019 the General Council asked me to represent our Congregation at UNANIMA, an NGO formed by 22 Congregations and founded in 2000 with the initial objective of “ending the demand for human trafficking”, and linked to the UN. I had already participated in a meeting of representatives of the Latin American Networks in Chile led by UNANIMA to address the issue of human trafficking. However, when I participated for the first time in the meeting in February of that year, I realized that UNANIMA had broadened the view on the current problems and was promoting research and presenting the results to the UN so that the situation of homelessness be included in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). UNANIMA is a pioneer of this struggle and reference point at the UN when it comes to the issue homelessness. My experience is still growing  but sufficient to understand the magnitude of the work done by this NGO.

It is said that “trafficking in persons is a parasitic crime that feeds on vulnerability, thrives in times of uncertainty and profits from inaction” (UNODC Report), those who do not have a decent place to call “home”, represented by migrants and refugees (especially women and children) are often the most targeted by traffickers. In addition, it is believed one of the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic will be the further aggravation of the vulnerability of these people who will be even more exposed to the exploitation and abuse of traffickers.   UNANIMA is at the forefront of this fight against trafficking, sensitizing others to understand how the vulnerability of homelessness leads to human trafficking.

Victims of human trafficking are people, mainly women and children, whose energies and power have been drained and all their forces have been plundered and they therefore feel destitute, like the woman mentioned in the Gospel Mark 5, 25-34.  However, these people do not lose their ability to think and act; they just need help to take initiative and regain their power.

Victims of trafficking need to be healed from within and strengthend, so that they have the courage and determination to look up and rebuild their lives with their heads held high, each according to their ability to plan and take steps to resume their  autonomy. It is in this sense that the various networks around the world act in a systematic and decisive manner in the prevention and welcoming of victims of human trafficking.  As UNANIMA (and other global organisations) state: “No one should be left behind!” May the Heart of Jesus inspire us and help us on this journey!

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