CathNews New Zealand

Nuns in India want priests and bishops to join them raiding Kolkata’s brothels.

The call comes from Sr Sharmi D’Souza, a member of the Sisters of Mary Immaculate, who says the nuns will be more effective supported by their pastors.

As well as the lack of priests, the nuns are also disappointed that some Indian police refuse to go with them because they’ve been bribed by traffickers.

Confirming the nuns never go alone, Sr Shami said when local police won’t help, the resourceful nuns go further up the police chain of command to get help.

“In one night, we saved 37 girls,” she said, adding 10 were minors.

Sr Sharmi told CNS that they’ve snatched girls as young as 12 from the clutches of their captors.

After rescuing the girls and young women, the sisters take them to safety and offer them support and assistance.

The nun, who with a number of other religious women attended the event at which Pope Francis urged everyone to fight modern forms of slavery, is pleased that in four years the nuns have also helped put 30 traffickers in jail.

The ongoing call to get more priests and men religious active in the fight against trafficking was reiterated by the only priest in the audience, not part of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace.

“The presence of such dedicated women religious is extraordinary.

“The absence of priests and male religious (at the news conference) is even more noticeable,” said Fr Jeffrey Bayhi, pastor of St John the Baptist and Our Lady of the Assumption churches in Zachary, Louisiana.

While women religious are on the streets helping victims, priests need to take advantage of “the pulpit” to speak out against human exploitation, he said.

“Life is seen only as something for profit, pleasure or possession. Unless we address that societal ill that is worldwide”, he said, adding, the “snakes” will never be wiped out “as long as there is a market for venom.”

February 8 is the feast of St Josephine Bakhita and marks the International Day of Prayer and Awareness against Human Trafficking.

Sources

• CNS
• Vatican Radio
• Image: Persblog.be

Additional reading

• Cellphones reshape prostitution in India, and complicate efforts to prevent AIDS
• Young Africans being seduced into modern slavery
• UK's strongest anti-slavery legislation passed in Northern Ireland

News category: World.