“The trade in human persons constitutes a shocking offense against human dignity and a grave violation of fundamental human rights. Already the Second Vatican Council had pointed to ‘slavery, prostitution, the selling of women and children’…as ‘infamies’ which ‘poison human society, debase their perpetrators’ and constitute ‘a supreme dishonour to the Creator’ (Gaudium et Spes, 27).(Pope John Paul II, 2002)
Last week I attended a two-day conference in Paramaribo, Suriname, on Human Trafficking. Until we see God in our neighbour, humankind will continue to violate and trample upon the transcendent dignity of countless of our brothers and sisters.
Bishop Willem de Bekker, Bishop of Paramaribo, opened the conference by asking participants who came from Suriname, French Guiana, Guyana, Brazil and specially invited guests, to ask ourselves: “Am I my brother’s keeper?” (Gen 4:9).
He urged us to take love for our neighbour as a guide for acting on an individual level; “as the essence of the cohesion of each society’ as the light for international cooperation; as the source of life for humanity.”
Trafficking in persons (TIP) is modern-day slavery; it is a crime against humanity. The UN estimates that up to 4 million persons are trafficked each year within and between countries. No country is immune from this crime. This $32 billion business thrives in a climate in which men, women and children are seen as “commodities”.
If you want to develop your awareness of the horrors of TIP, see the films – Human Trafficking with Donald Sutherland (2005) and Taken with Liam Neeson (2008).
There are international instruments that have been developed to assist countries in combating this scourge e.g. the 2000 UN Convention against Transnational Organised Crime, which was supplemented by the Protocol to Prevent, suppress and punish trafficking in persons, especially women and children. “The Protocol is the first global legally binding instrument with an agreed definition on trafficking in persons” (Wikepedia).
It’s a long definition that basically states that human trafficking is the acquisition of people by improper means such as force, fraud or deception, with the aid of exploiting them. Countries are urged to develop laws that aim to punish traffickers, protect victims and prevent trafficking.
CCSJ will be lobbying our Government to take appropriate action to enact specific legislation to address TIP. You may have read media reports of T&T’s status after the US Department of State issued in June 2010 its 10th annual report on foreign Governments’ efforts to eliminate severe forms of TIP.
177 countries are placed in various “‘Tiers’”– Tier 1 being those who are fully complying with the US Trafficking Victims Protection Act’s (2000) minimum standards. This year, T&T has dropped from Tier 2 to Tier 2 Watch List. (Tier 3 is the lowest rank). We are not complying fully with the minimum standards etc. What has happened to the work of the Working Group that comprised various stakeholders?
I believe that Trinidad and Tobago is a destination, source and transit country for trafficking. As well as those who are trafficked into T&T, we cannot afford to ignore the fact that there is a large number of missing persons in T&T – some of whom may well have been trafficked. We must do as the minimum standards list says, and “make serious and sustained efforts to eliminate trafficking.” (See the seven criteria that a country should consider).
Besides legislation, we need relevant infrastructure to deal with this crime e.g. guidelines and shelters for victims; a 24- hour hotline for receiving anonymous information; special units in the Police Service; training for all police/immigration personnel/various Government Ministries/Court staff; public awareness campaign; addressing the issue of demand and supply and pull and push factors.
As the University of Dayton states, pull factors include: sex industry, consumerism, businesses using labour of trafficked persons, hope for a better quality of life, employment opportunities. Push factors include: poverty, disaster or war-torn areas, unemployment, desperation, debt, lack of education, unfair trade policies.
Faith communities can and must do more to take action now. I end with a quotation from Victor Scheffers (Secretary General of Justitia et Pax, Netherlands), in his presentation at the conference in Paramaribo:
“The Church’s commitment to human rights is not something ancillary or secondary; rather, the promotion of the dignity of the person and of his and her human rights is an essential characteristic of the Church’s mission today…The Church has a prophetic duty to denounce human rights violations, to make concrete gestures of solidarity with people in situations of oppression…And when I speak about the responsibility of the Church, I refer to all its members…”
