05/27/08
year:
2008
Aston, PA-Human trafficking, being quoted as modern day slavery, has been all over the news lately, both in the U.S. and abroad. According to Humantrafficking.org, “The United States of America is principally a transit and destination country for trafficking of persons. It is estimated that 14,500 to 17,500 people, primarily women and children, are trafficked to the U.S. annually.” Today, illegal sale of humans is a multibillion-dollar industry tied with the illegal arms industry as the second largest criminal industry in the world, surpassed only by drug trafficking. Moreover, it is the fastest growing criminal industry. It is with this in mind that the Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia take great joy in announcing to you that the congregation, as a result of a recent referendum, has declared a corporate stand against the trafficking of human persons.
A first step in implementing this stand is to petition Congress to support putting an end to human trafficking. We have also been working with Catholic Social Services and other agencies to determine how we can be of assistance to those who have been trafficked and are now trying to reestablish their lives. Follow-up actions and activities will continue to be solicited from the congregation and pursued.
This corporate stand is one concrete way for the congregation to “take the necessary risks to be a healing, compassionate presence in our violent world, especially with women, children, and those who have no voice.” [Commitment Statement, 1996]
The Sisters of St. Francis are a congregation of nearly 650 Catholic women religious who are dedicated to serving others, especially those who are economically poor, marginal, and oppressed.
