Parolin: more action needed in
the fight against human trafficking
Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin,
addressed a breakfast meeting organized the Group of Friends United Against
Human Trafficking in New York on 26 September He lamented that the growing
phenomenon of human trafficking was outpacing action against it.
By Robin Gomes
The Holy See is calling for greater action in order to
respond adequately to the growing global phenomenon of human trafficking.
The Vatican Secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin made
the call on Thursday in New York in an address during a breakfast meeting
organized by the Group of Friends United Against Human Trafficking. The
event took place in the sidelines of the 74th Session of the United
Nations General Assembly.
Noting that some 41 million men, women, boys and girls are
victims of human trafficking, he described it as one of the darkest and most
revolting realities in the world today.
In the words of Pope Francis, trafficking is “an open wound
on the body of contemporary society,” a “crime against humanity,” and an
“atrocious scourge that is present throughout the world on a broad scale.”
Inadequate action
The cardinal, who is heading the Holy See delegation to the
General Assembly, admitted that progress has been made against the scourge
through international protocols, action plans and other initiatives. But,
much more needs to be done because international “mobilization has not been
comparable in size to that of metastasizing cancer of human trafficking”, and
the number of those enslaved keeps growing.
He recalled Pope Francis’s address to the UN General
Assembly in 2015, where he said that solemn commitments are not enough. We must
ensure that our efforts are truly effective in the struggle against human
trafficking, the marketing of human organs and tissues, the sexual exploitation
of boys and girls, slave labor, including prostitution, and other evils.
Tackling factors of trafficking
By way of preventive action, Cardinal Parolin spoke about
addressing issues that drive human trafficking, such as the social, economic,
cultural, political factors that make people vulnerable, formulating
comprehensive policies and programmes, and developing educational and
awareness-raising campaigns.
Armed conflicts, forced migration and cultural and ethical
factors, such as avarice, pornography and prostitution, he said, increase the
demand for exploiting human beings.
Protecting and assisting victims
Noting that victims of human trafficking are not silent
partners or criminals, the Vatican official called for greater action in
protecting and assisting them. Greater effort, he said, is needed in
liberating, healing and rehabilitating victims to a normal, productive and
autonomous life.
Cardinal Parolin also called for more action in prosecuting
the traffickers, saying, despite adequate legal instruments in place, there are
very few convictions and most traffickers still operate with impunity.
Church initiatives
Cardinal Parolin called for better promotion of partnerships
among various sectors of society and the international community to eradicate
trafficking and rehabilitate survivors. In this regard, he particularly mentioned
two worldwide partnerships within the Catholic Church.
The Santa Marta Group is an international alliance of police
chiefs and bishops against human trafficking, and Talitha Kum is a network of
Catholic religious sisters fighting the scourge across the world.
Besides, the Vatican, earlier this year, published some
“Pastoral Orientations on Human Trafficking” to guide the Catholic Church
action across the globe in the fight against the scourge.
“The only adequate response to the global phenomenon of
human trafficking,” he said, “is a worldwide mobilization of fraternity,
solidarity, and commitment capable of remedying the globalization of
indifference in which human trafficking thrives.”
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