Last week 65 boat people from Sri Lanka and Bangladesh were intercepted by the Australian navy off eastern Indonesia. They were heading For New Zealand. In reply to their request for asylum in New Zealand, they have been advised to contact United Nations officials in Australia. Since at least 2010 the Prime Minister John Key Read more
Last December Cardinal John Dew attended the Santa Marta Conference on Human Trafficking in London. Police chiefs and Church representatives from across the world gathered in London alongside Home Office ministers for a Conference aimed at developing strategies to combat human trafficking. Cardinal John said he felt both privileged to attend and horrified at what he Read more
February 8 was the first International Day of Prayer and Awareness against Human Trafficking. An initiative of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Travellers, it occurs on the feast of St Josephine Bakhita who was kidnapped by slave traders, sold into slavery five times, experienced daily beatings and was used as Read more
The EU and its member states urgently need to implement the legal framework already in place and to intensify cooperation with civil society and church organisations that work with victims of human trafficking at the grassroots level. This was one of the main messages of the Dialogue Seminar organised by COMECE and the Church and Read more
What are the signs of hope in the Church and the world? My initial reaction to that question was somewhat confronting. Besides the “Francis factor”, I saw very few signs of hope in the Church. This response was probably strongly influenced by the heart-rending stories of pain, suffering and broken trust that have been told Read more
New Zealand is a destination country for foreign men and women subjected to forced labor and sex trafficking, a US State Department report has claimed. The department’s 2014 Trafficking in Persons Report has also labelled New Zealand as a source country for children subjected to sex trafficking within the country. “A small number of girls Read more
American Samoa’s acting Governor Lemanu Peleti Mauga has signed into law legislation that criminalises human trafficking and involuntary servitude. In a letter to the Fono (legislative Assembly) leaders Lemanu said, “We found that there have been past incidents of human trafficking in American Samoa.” “Victims of human trafficking are not limited to a certain age, Read more
A New Zealander, Archbishop Sir David Moxon, has played a key role in bringing about an historic interfaith accord against human trafficking. Eradicating modern slavery and human trafficking worldwide by 2020 is the goal of the newly-formed Global Freedom Network. An accord was signed at the Vatican on March 17 by representatives of Pope Francis, Read more
Irish missionary in the Philippines and Nobel Peace Prize nominee Fr Shay Cullen SSC, is warning that children made orphans by Typhoon Haiyan are in danger of becoming victims of human trafficking. Wandering children become “the main victims of jackals who seize them for child abuse or human trafficking,” he told the Fides news agency. “It Read more
Pope Francis wants action against modern forms of slavery including forced labour and prostitution, the Vatican said on Monday after a meeting of experts called by the pontiff to debate the problem. “Some experts believe human trafficking will overtake drug and arms trafficking in a decade, becoming the most lucrative criminal activity in the world,” Read more