“Journeying
in Dignity: Listen, Dream, Act” is
the theme of the International Day of
Prayer and Awareness against Human Trafficking to be held on Feb. 8, a date established by Pope
Francis on the feast of St. Bakhita. She is the patron saint of those suffering
even today from slavery. She was born in the Sudan in Africa and was herself
enslaved before becoming a nun.
A press release from the organizers
explained that “human trafficking is the process by which people are coerced or
lured by false prospects, recruited, relocated, and forced to work and live in
exploitative or abusive conditions. It is a phenomenon, as recent United
Nations reports warn, in continuous and dramatic evolution.”
In Rome, 50 young
representatives from partner organizations of the Day are are
participating in training and awareness sessions on trafficking. They are
students, volunteers, researchers, creatives, communicators, activists, and
operators against trafficking.
“Trafficking is around us,
in our cities, but is often invisible to our eyes. With this Day, we want to
increase awareness of trafficking, reflect on the situation of violence and
injustice suffered by the victims of this global phenomenon, and propose concrete
solutions. We invite everyone to listen and observe attentively, to dream
together with the young people of a better world and to act for change,
starting from personal, community, and institutional commitment to effectively
counter the causes of trafficking and exploitation,” said Sister Abby
Avelino, MM, coordinator of the Day.
May St. Josephine intercede for an end
to violence and human trafficking and all forms of exploitation. May all come
to see we are all children of God, worthy of dignity.