Catholic Church pleads for help against human trafficking

The National Conference of Bishops of Brazil (CNBB) made an Ash Wednesday appeal on March 5 to raise public awareness to human trafficking. As part of this year's Brotherhood Campaign launch under the theme “Brotherhood and Human Trafficking”, a message from Pope Francis was read out. “It is impossible to remain indifferent when one learns that there are human beings who are bought and sold like merchandise,” said the pope's letter, which went on to list some human trafficking scenarios targeted by the campaign – including children trafficked to provide organs for transplant, women exposed to sexual exploitation, and workers kept as slaves.

The Brotherhood Campaign was created in Brazil in 1962 and has taken place every year beginning on Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent (the period of the church calendar year leading up to Easter). It is designed to raise awareness among Catholics – and the society at large – to social problems found in Brazil, and includes fund-raising activities. This year's campaign will be based on the motto “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free” (Gal 5,1), and the funds will go into efforts to combat human trafficking.

“By launching this campaign, we aim to bring this issue into public attention and partner with states in their efforts to fight the exploitation of persons,” explained the CNBB Secretary-General, Leonardo Steiner. “Human trafficking is the result of the culture we live in as we grow used to the suffering of others instead of caring about them,” he said.

Pastor Romi Márcia Bencke, executive secretary of the National Council of Christian Churches that supports the campaign, draws attention to the economic vulnerability of the victims. “This issue has very deep roots in the way our society is organized and how [human trafficking] spreads out to pervade several economic sectors,” she said. The two religious leaders went on to stress the need to overcome religious differences in their efforts to tackle this issue.

Justice Minister José Eduardo Cardozo, who attended the campaign launch, praised the initiative and pointed out to the underground character of human trafficking which makes it very difficult to track. He emphasized that fighting this type of crime must involve all the population. “The Brotherhood Campaign provides a timely opportunity for us to join forces with the population and create a joint committee to fine tune state policies and welcome suggestions, while also sensitizing and empowering the society to take action,” he completed.

Cardozo noted that there is little information available on the number of trafficked persons, because victims and their families are often embarrassed to talk about their degrading experiences. “Unfortunately too few cases have been opened to investigate trafficking in persons in proportion to the extent of the problem. And this is because people won't speak out. Some are too embarrassed to let others know the humiliating situations they have been exposed to, and their family members won't report either. Often the victim believes they are getting help from those who are the actual criminals,” he said.

A survey into trafficking in persons in Brazil's border areas released by the federal government in October last year reported that one third of the people charged with trafficking in persons between 2005 and 2011 were arrested in border areas – out of the 384 indictments, 128 were recorded somewhere along Brazil's 15,719-kilometer long border. The survey found that people are mostly trafficked for sexual exploitation and forced labor.

Most victims are women aged between 18 and 29. Other common victims are children, teenagers, transvestites, and transgenders – usually those in a position of vulnerability because of their socioeconomic background or because of family conflicts.

Translated by Mayra Borges