National Human Trafficking Awareness Day

Today is National Human Trafficking Awareness Day, when we recognize the fact that, each year, an estimated 17,000 vulnerable men, women and children are trafficked across our borders and then forced into slavery. According to the website of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), many are fleeing terrible situations in their home countries, and come to the United States to find a better life. Unfortunately, the nightmare often begins when they reach our shores.
 
The USCCB has been a national leader in advocacy and education to eradicate sex and labor trafficking. The mission of the Bishops' Anti-Trafficking Program is to educate people on the scourge of human trafficking as an offense against fundamental dignity of the human person, to advocate for an end to modern day slavery, to provide training and technical assistance on this issue, and to support survivors through community-based services.
 
Another program of the USCCB is Migration and Refugee Services, which leads efforts to combat trafficking in human persons, carrying out the commitment of the U.S. Bishops' Committee on Migration to protect the life and dignity of the most vulnerable. Their initiatives include advocacy, awareness raising, training and technical assistance, and integration services.
 
You can learn more here. To donate to the Catholic Fund Against Human Trafficking, click here.