What is Human Trafficking?
Human Trafficking is the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of people through force, fraud or deception, with the aim of exploiting them for profit. Men, women and children of all ages and from all backgrounds can become victims of this crime, which occurs in every region of the world. The traffickers often use violence or fraudulent employment agencies and fake promises of education and job opportunities to trick and coerce their victims.
The Role of Faith
The Church's response
Over the course of several years, the Catholic Church maintains a firm stance against any form of Human Trafficking as it goes against the dignity of the human persons. As the seventh commandment firmly states, it’s a sin against the dignity of persons, as well as a complete disregard of their God given rights to reduce them through means of violence to their productive value or to a source of profit.
Prevention
Adopted by the United Nations in November 2000 the Protocol is the first legally binding instrument with an internationally recognized definition of human trafficking. This definition for the detection of all forms of exploitation which constitute human trafficking. Countries that ratify this treaty must criminalize human trafficking and develop anti-trafficking laws in line with the Protocol’s legal provisions.
Protocol
