Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

Bringing Christ's love to the world

Masthead Image for Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

High Profile Events Exacerbate Human Trafficking

As COVID-19 cases surge, another hidden issue is taking its toll on our country’s most vulnerable. Human trafficking cases have risen 185% compared to this time last year, according to Cast (one of the nation’s largest providers of services for survivors). Cast has also seen a dramatic rise in homeless clients since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. One-hundred percent of its cases classified as “urgent” human trafficking cases have been comprised of homeless survivors during the pandemic. This desperation has led to more people being tricked into modern-day slavery.

Another upcoming concern where Human Trafficking will take place in the US is during the Superbowl, which will be played on Sunday, Feb. 7 in Tampa, Florida. With Florida ranking third among U.S. states in volume of human trafficking victims, this is a high-priority issue.

High-profile events that draw big-spending, out-of-town visitors, even during a pandemic that has curtailed the crowd sizes and party scene, are natural targets for traffickers. In Atlanta two years ago, the FBI reported that an 11-day pre-Super Bowl operation yielded the arrests of 169 people, including 44 alleged traffickers, and the rescues of 29 juvenile victims.

Florida’s Attorney General Ashley Moody stated that her office is providing virtual training to Uber drivers and hotel staff members to help educate them on the signs of human trafficking and how to report it. They will also put warnings on buses, billboards, and all-around town to let people know what trafficking signs to look for.

A Reflection on Human Trafficking in honor of St. Josephine Bakhita

Reflection

A major driver of human trafficking is neoliberalism, the dominant economic model of our time.  It relentlessly promotes the assumption that creating wealth for those businesses and individuals who are already well-off will “trickle down” to those in the greatest need.  Over and over again, this has proven to be false.  The rich see immense gains in their wealth while those who are poor continue to struggle against ever-greater odds.  Under this model, there are currently more people trafficked and in slavery than ever in history.  And the profits derived from the victims of human trafficking are enormous, especially in the sectors of mining, agriculture, hospitality, manufacturing, construction, domestic work, prostitution and organ transplants.

Pope Francis has implored us to “promote a new way of thinking about human beings, life, society and our relationship with nature.”  If we accept this invitation and open ourselves to living more simply and compassionately, and to challenging our economic and political leaders, our economic models may finally begin to eliminate the differences between privilege and poverty.  If we choose not to accept this invitation, the liberation of the oppressed that Jesus calls for in Luke’s Gospel will be difficult, if not impossible, to be realized.

Gesture of Commitment

You are invited to light a candle as a sign of your commitment to see and help to free those who are oppressed through human trafficking and slavery.

Closing Prayer 

St. Josephine Bakhita, you were sold into slavery as a child and endured untold hardship and suffering.  Once liberated from your physical enslavement, you found true redemption in your encounter with Christ and his Church.

Oh, St. Bakhita, assist all those who are trapped in a state of slavery; intercede with God on their behalf so that they will be released from their chains of captivity.  Those whom people enslave, let God set free.

Provide comfort to survivors of slavery and let them look to you as an example of hope and faith.  Help all survivors find healing from their wounds.  We ask for your prayers and intercessions for those enslaved among us.  Amen.

Pope Francis, 2018

To access the Corporate Stance of the Missionary Sisters against Human Trafficking, click here

January 2021 is National Anti-Human Trafficking Awareness Month

It is also a time for us to take these messages to our workplaces, our churches, our schools, our families and our friends.The Director of the National Human Trafficking Hotline # says the first months of COVID-related shutdowns brought a 40-percent increase in crisis calls, while requests for shelter nearly doubled. Traffickers prey upon people experiencing heightened vulnerabilities linked to pandemic-related lock downs, stay at home orders, and job loss. Knowing how to ‘spot the signs’ could save lives.

Someone you know may be in a sex trafficking situation if:
• They want to stop participating in selling or trading sex but feel scared or unable to leave.
• They disclose that they were reluctant to engage in selling sex but that someone pressured them into it.
• They live where they work or are transported by guards between home and workplace.
• They are children who live with or are supported by or dependent on a family member with a substance abuse problem or who is abusive in other ways.
• They have a manager in the sex trade.
• They have visual signs of abuse.
• They work in an industry where it may be common to be pressured into performing sex acts for money, such as a strip club, illicit cantina, go-go bar, or illicit massage business.
• They have an older, or simply controlling parent, guardian, romantic partner or “sponsor” who will not allow you to meet or speak with the person alone or monitors their movements, spending and/or communications. ~ Polaris Project

IF YOU SUSPECT TRAFFICKING, REPORT IT!
CALL THE NATIONAL HUMAN TRAFFICKING HOTLINE # 888-3737-888
and BE SURE TO ADD THIS NUMBER IN YOUR CELL PHONE.
Monday, January 11, is National Human Trafficking Awareness Day.

Please pray the following prayer, daily, and join together in ending modern day slavery:
Loving Father,
We seek your divine protection for all who are exploited and enslaved.
For those forced into labor, trafficked into sexual slavery, and denied freedom,
we beseech you to release them from their chains.
Grant them protection, safety, and empowerment.
Restore their dignity and provide them a new beginning.
Show us how we might end exploitation by addressing its causes.
Help us reach out in support of victims and survivors of human trafficking.
Make us instruments of your spirit for their liberation.
For this we pray through our Lord Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen

Anti-trafficking Advocates Warn that Pandemic is Increasing Human Trafficking

~ by Chris Herlinger, Global Sisters Report

Those involved in efforts to end human trafficking fear that the global pandemic and resulting lockdowns are increasing the numbers of people forced into human trafficking.

“The broad upshot is that we need to brace ourselves for 2021 and expect a huge increase in the number of people affected” by trafficking, Luke de Pulford, director of the U.K.-based anti-trafficking organization Arise, said during a Dec. 2 webinar by the Catholic Sisters Initiative of the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation.

“We don’t know how bad the damage is yet,” de Pulford told the Global Sisters Report (GSR), “but when the statistics come in they are going to be deeply shocking and troubling.”

Those being lured into trafficking work – be it slave labor or sexual trafficking – are those “already struggling” and at risk due to poverty, Sr. Jane Wakahiu, Associate Vice President of Program Operations of Hilton’s Catholic Sisters initiative.

“COVID has exacerbated a dramatic increase in unemployment, reduced or loss of income for individuals working in informal or low wage sectors which leads to vulnerability, and at-risk individuals find themselves in precarious circumstances, Sr. Wakahiu told GSR.

In his presentation, de Pulford cited some grim realities:

In October, the World Bank said that global poverty is expected to rise in 2020, with the COVID-19 pandemic “estimated to push an additional 88 to 115 million people into extreme poverty this year.

“The principal underlying cause of human trafficking is poverty and the search for better economic opportunities. Prevention is impeded not just by levels of poverty itself but by a series of vulnerabilities, including armed conflict and migration, homelessness, disabilities, lack of supportive families, and racial and ethnic prejudice.”

Another concern, de Pulford said is the mass movement of people – with “lockdowns and business closures [prompting] millions of workers to try to return to their homes. Not all of the newly unemployed reach home. Many turn to illegal means to sustain themselves.”

Child trafficking is also likely increasing, de Pulford said, “with alarming trends indicating that worse is to come.” That is because an estimated 42 to 66 million more children “could fall into extreme poverty and nearly 1.5 billion children around the world have been kept away from school for three months under national lockdowns.”

“The Conrad N. Hilton Foundation supports Catholic sisters in the fight against human trafficking because sisters have taken a strategic leadership stance and pooled their efforts to create an international network of consecrated life against trafficking in persons,” said Sr. Wakahiu. “Sisters have not only demonstrated their capability but are in the frontline supporting in prevention, protection, prayer and rehabilitation of survivors. Survivors need a variety of support, including psychological, healthcare, spiritual, and connections to employment. Sisters recognize every person’s dignity; they don’t judge but walk with the individual in their journeys of healing and wholeness.”

To read the entire article click here

To learn more about the Cabrinian efforts to combat human-trafficking, click here and here

To access a PDF with the Missionary Sisters Guadalupe Province Corporate Stance on Anti-Human Trafficking. Click here

Voices for the Voiceless

We are very proud and grateful for the students of Cabrini University’s ECG 200, Voices for the Voiceless class. They helped organize a Human Trafficking Awareness Walk at Cabrini University on November 10 (Cabrini Day) and had “stations” where they shared info on Human Trafficking. The students in this class have become abolitionists and we know they are going to continue to be voices for the voiceless!
~ The Barbara and John Jordan Center for Children of Trauma and Domestic Violence Education, Cabrini Action and Advocacy Coalition, and ECG 200 Voice for Voiceless-Anti-Human Trafficking Class

Some topics discussed:
What is Human Trafficking?
Human trafficking is a form of modern-day slavery, in which people are controlled and exploited for profit. Perpetrators use force, fraud, and/or coercion to manipulate and establish control over individuals.
Types of Trafficking:
Various forms of trafficking exist around the world, including forced labor, sex trafficking, child labor, forced marriage, and child soldiers.
Statistics:
In 2019, 11,500 situations of human trafficking were reported to the U.S. National Human Trafficking Hotline. These situations involved 22,326 individual survivors; nearly 4,384 traffickers and 1,912 suspicious businesses. Human trafficking is very much under reported. Shocking as these numbers are, they are likely only a fraction of the actual problem.
Impact:
Trafficked persons often have limited access to basic necessities such as safety, food, sleep, hygiene, and medical care.

Get Involved:
Learn everything you can about human trafficking and share that info with your friends, neighbors, family members; donate to organization’s who help trafficked victims & volunteer for them:

Please place the National Human Trafficking Hotline # in your cell phone 1-888-3737-888 and report suspected cases.

COVID-19 Has Exacerbated Human Trafficking


~ Chris Herlinger, Global Sisters Report

In addition to eliminating jobs, halting and slowing travel, and disrupting food pipelines, the coronavirus pandemic has exacerbated the problem of human trafficking said experts gathered at an October 14 symposium entitled: “Combating Human Trafficking: Action in a Time of Crisis” sponsored by the U.S. Embassy to the Holy See and held at the International Union of Superiors General in Rome.

Declaring human trafficking “a stain on all of humanity,” said Calista Gingrich, the U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See. She further said that human trafficking “is impervious to our current health crisis. It invades borders, destroys communities, and robs millions of their human dignity.”

In many communities, Gingrich said, “exploitation, abuse and modern slavery are on the rise. Countless victims, especially women and children, face growing threats. As the economic fallout of this pandemic continues, additional men, women and children are likely to become victims of forced labor and sex trafficking.”

She said that amidst the troubling signs, alliances focused on ending the exploitation of human can make a difference. She hailed the work of Catholic sisters, church-based humanitarian [groups] and law enforcement and said the shared concern about human trafficking is a “cornerstone” of the relationship between the U.S. embassy and the Holy See.”

In her remarks, Loreto Sister Patricia Murray, IUSG executive secretary noted that the United Nations has said the pandemic will likely cause an estimated 34.3 million people “to fall below the extreme poverty line” this year alone with over half that increase to happen in African countries. That has made people desperate for ways to support themselves and their families and has opened the opportunity for exploitation by traffickers.

Murray quoted Pope Francis’ declaration earlier this year that the financial gain from trafficking amounts to “blood money” and described trafficking as an “open wound on the body of contemporary society.”

To read the entire article click here
To access a PDF with Missionary Sisters’ Corporate Stance on Human Trafficking click here

California’s Forgotten Children – A Documentary on Human Trafficking

Human Trafficking Awareness – Award-Winning Documentary

A Free Movie Eventponsored by:
The Barbara and John Jordan Center for Children of Trauma and Domestic Violence Education, Cabrini Action and Advocacy Coalition, and ECG 200 Voice for Voiceless- Anti-Human Trafficking Class

Wednesday, March 25, 2020 – 6:00 pm
Cabrini University Widener Lecture Hall

Please register for the event at https://tinyurl.com/tq853x7

“‘California’s Forgotten Children’ is a feature documentary about child sex trafficking. The film recounts true stories of girls and boys who were commercially sexually exploited in California and are now survivors and courageous leaders fighting for the rights of victims worldwide. (Website)

Melody C. Miller is a filmmaker who works to make a positive impact in the world by
making narrative films and documentaries. An advocate for women and children’s rights, Melody has dedicated from the start of her career making films that amplify the voices and stories of causes she cares about. She has gone above and beyond to not only create empowering films but creating a movement of change. (Website)

This movie is relevant to a variety of academic disciplines. Students from all majors will benefit by attending this event. Student attendance will be recorded at this event.
Please Come and Bring a Friend! Open to the Public

We will be accepting donations of gift cards (Target, Walmart), underwear, feminine hygiene products, and travel-sized bottles of shampoo and/or soaps at this event.

Questions about the event:
The Barbara and John Jordan Center for Children of Trauma and Domestic Violence Education
Phone: 610-902-8466
Email: jordancenter@cabrini.edu

Cabrini Advocacy and Action Coalition
Phone: 610-902-1038 cabriniformation@mothercabrini.org

Survivor Focuses on Red Flags of Human Trafficking

Cabrini University’s ECG Anti-Human Trafficking class, the Barbara and John Jordan Center and the Cabrini Action & Advocacy Coalition (Cabrini Closet) recently organized an evening at Cabrini University with guest speaker, Tammy McDonnell, an activist, advocate and human trafficking survivor. The following are excerpts of the account of the presentation which appeared in Catholic Philly.com.

Human trafficking survivor Tammy McDonnell shared her experiences on November 6 at Cabrini University and, through a panel discussion that followed, raised awareness among students and residents about the crime of trafficking — a form of modern-day slavery — its prevalence in Philadelphia-area communities and how to combat it.
Human trafficking occurs when force, fraud, or coercion is used to control another person for the purpose of engagement in commercial sex acts or soliciting labor or services against that person’s will.

“Slavery is death,” said McDonnell, who is also an activist for Covenant House in Philadelphia. Human trafficking treats people as disposable, she said.

“Trafficking happens in your own backyard,” she said, adding that it is so prevalent, “you can be sitting next to a survivor, and not even know it.”
Her human trafficking story began when she sold her car for $800 to a man that she now realizes was a “recruiter,” an intermediary who referred her to someone who could give her a job that she needed, which “was the start of everything.”

Looking back, she now realizes her trafficker was a predator who took advantage of her vulnerabilities. She felt trapped and was too afraid to break away because she needed to protect her family from the trafficker, who made threats against her mother and her children.
Then one day, she said, “this cosmic mental switch went off, and I said, ‘I’m done.’” She fled Philadelphia for New Jersey, where she was homeless and subsisted by committing petty theft crimes, such as breaking into parked cars and stealing items which she sold to purchase food and drugs.
The crisis center referred McDonnell to a women’s recovery program, where she lived with Catholic nuns for 18 months. During her recovery, one of the sisters recommended McDonnell for a position as survivor advocate for Covenant House in Philadelphia. Now, her role has been expanded also to include outreach worker.

“I can raise awareness because it’s so necessary,” McDonnell said. She advocates for laws to prevent human trafficking in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. “I knew nothing about the law, except how to break it.” But now she attends community college, pursuing paralegal studies, and hopes eventually to attend law school. “My life is helping other people,” she says.

Francesca’s Garden is Open Again!

For the past five years, the Cabrini University Grounds staff members have collaborated with the staff members of the Cabrini Cottage in planting and tending to a vegetable garden on The Cottage grounds. The veggies that are planted are harvested throughout the summer and given to area homes and programs for rescued victims of human trafficking and for food-insecure senior citizens. This year, tomatoes and peppers are the crops of choice.
Here Sr. Grace Waters, MSC (r.) puts a shovel in the ground with the assistance of Eduardo (l.) and Felix (r.)
University Grounds Crew members.

610 King of Prussia Road, Radnor, PA 19087
Phone: 610-902-1039
Fax: 610-971-0396
info@mothercabrini.org