Asian inter-faith meeting studies women’s role against
human trafficking
There are nearly 45 million victims of human trafficking worldwide, nearly two-thirds of them in Asia. |
An Asian level inter-faith conference held in
the Philippines last week underscored
the role of women in preventing the modern day scourge of human
trafficking. The Asian Conference of Religions for Peace (ACRP) organized
the International Conference of Women Empowerment Against Modern Day
Slavery at the University of Santo Tomas in Sampaloc, Manila, from 20
to 22 July 2017 in the run-up to the United Nations World Day against
Trafficking in Persons, July 30. ACRP is the part of Religions for Peace,
the largest international coalition of representatives from the world’s
religions active in more than 90 countries.
At the meeting, representatives of various religious
communities, faith-based organizations, and human rights advocate groups,
talked about the complexities and the dehumanizing adverse effects of modern
day slavery. For the first time, the role of women in multi-faith
traditions was stressed as key to reviving family values and, as
consequence, preventing the trafficking of vulnerable women and children.
Poverty fuels modern-day slavery
According to the 2016 Global Slavery Index (GSI), there are
nearly 45 million victims of human trafficking worldwide,
nearly two-thirds of them in Asia. Because of their poverty
and vulnerability, millions continue to be forced into bonded labour,
commercial sex and child soldiering.
“We are aware that the advancement of technology, the rise
of globalization and the increasing economic divide between rich and
poor countries have exacerbated the demand-supply of the modern-day
slavery,” said the organizer of the event, Lilian Sison, secretary general of
Religions for Peace Philippines. “We are saddened by the fact that
traditional protectors such as parents, mothers, grandparents and relatives
have fallen prey to the lure of economic gain due to abject poverty thereby
becoming conduits to the abuses done to their own children and family members.”
Sadly, “the breakdown of traditional values has made the home, the first line
of care for the children and women, as the very site of abominable abuses,” she
noted.
Justice and law - ineffective
One of the issues that raised concerns among the conference
delegates is Asia’s seemingly weak criminal justice system and ineffective
law-enforcement, which have favoured large-scale modern-day slavery.
Participants decided to stand together in solidarity and observe the United
Nations’ World Day against Trafficking in Persons.
Slavery - offence against God
“We declare that modern day slavery is contrary to the
teachings and values of all religious traditions,” said Dominican Sister
Cecilian Espenilla, who works with Talitha Kum, an
organization of Catholic women established by the International Union of
Superiors General (UISG) in 2009. “Modern day slavery is a crime against
humanity, and a grave offense against God,” Sr. Espenilla
stressed. (Source: AsiaNews)
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