National Council of Catholic Women at 200 N. Glebe Road, Suite 703, Arlington, VA 22203 US - AGAINST HUMAN TRAFFICKING SEMINAR

One of the most profound experiences on our spiritual journey is to gather together for a learning experience in prayer and sharing and then to leave that gathering enlightened and changed. Diverse professions and ministries were represented at this conference.

Sheila McCarron, NCCW Program Director charted our goal to become aware that victims of Human Trafficking are living and working in our communities. They're hidden or blended into communities and people living in fearful, disadvantaged, hostile situations. Sr. Mary Ellen Dougherty of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops presented an overview of Human Trafficking.

Sr. Mary Ellen defined our task: "Catholic women in leadership can take this information back to their parishes. Look for the victims of human trafficking." Human trafficking is the true practice of modern day slavery based on false promises, personal abuse, coercion and profit for the trafficker.

Each presentation evoked feelings of personal involvement and empathy which was certainly experienced by each conference participant. The information given by each speaker was exactly what many of us needed to hear from credible individuals and organizations. Public media rarely tells the entire story of this human tragedy. Their reports dwell briefly on the sensationalism of an incident without informative follow up coverage.

Steve Wagner, from the Office of Refugee Resettlement introduced us to the work of the Campaign to Rescue and Restore Victims of Human Trafficking. They connect victims of trafficking with Non-government Agencies (NGOs). NGOs respond to the human needs of 14,500 to 17,500 victims annually. According to Rescue and Restore, 18,000 to 20,000 men, women, teenagers, and children are trafficked into the United States yearly. Mr. Wagner explained that Rescue and Restore focuses on saving the individuals, not necessarily on saving large numbers of people. The Rescue and Restore campaign encourages local law enforcement agencies and private citizens to uncover victims.

The mind set of the trafficking victim was discussed. It was explained that victims often think that they do not want to be found. They are actually held captive by their own fear of being discovered as well as by fear of their traffickers. They also fear reprisals against themselves and/or against their family members back home. Rescue and Restore creates a way for victims to come forward, be protected, participate in the prosecution of their traffickers, and ultimately become citizens. The project's web site provides comprehensive information on all facets of human trafficking. Videos and tip sheets are available. Their outreach is aimed to educate us to recognize victims in our daily encounters.

On our first night together, participants were led in a beautiful prayer for the end trafficking. We prayed for the wisdom and courage to be united in our efforts to bring about restoration of freedom to exploited victims. May this shared prayer continue to empower us as we seek to become more vigilant and pro-active in this cause.

Each presentation carefully unraveled the component layers of human trafficking. Legal, social, and emotional issues were explained. Case studies presented trafficking situations involving the exploitation of individuals in areas of labor, prostitution, agriculture/ farm slavery. Most unsettling and memorable was the pervasive sense of the victim suffering, disappointment, and feelings of abandonment as we listened to reports on human trafficking.

The warmth and sharing among conference attendees created an atmosphere for networking and planning how we would continue the work of spreading trafficking awareness to concerned members of our parishes and communities. Together we were able to draft plans to identify additional participants and point persons from appropriate organizations to form a Task Force in our respective diocese.

Attending this conference has given us the opportunity to experience the NCCW mission "to support, empower, and educate all Catholic women in spirituality, leadership, and service."

Sincere appreciation is extended to the guest speakers:
Elissa Steglich, Heartland Alliance, "The Law and the Learning"
Maria Jose Fletcher, Florida Immigration, "Sexual Exploitation and Trafficking"
Laura Gemino, Coalition of Immokalee Workers, "Labor Issues and Trafficking"
Carol Peck, Catholic Charities, USA, "Domestic Trafficking Project"
Joan Hart, SSND, "Delivering the Message"