The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has been identifying, organizing, preaching, and acting against human trafficking for years. The Catholic Conference of Illinois is working with local law enforcement and non-government organizations to confront and eliminate both the supply and demand sides of this unholy chain that wraps itself in a cloak of commerce.
The Diocese of Rockford has 105 parishes, two missions and an oratory. Large and small, rich and poor, rural and urban, and we all live in a state that is last in adopting a budget but second for incidents of human trafficking. The quadrangle that starts in Rockford, goes north to Madison, then east to Milwaukee, south to Chicago and west back to Rockford has the unsavory reputation of being a profitable market for human trafficking.
The presence of two major lake ports, a university city and an industrial town with chronic unemployment and poverty provide the ingredients for this lethal cocktail.
Feb. 8 is the International Day of Prayer and Awareness against Human Trafficking. It’s the feast of St. Josephine Bakhita who was kidnapped as a child and sold into slavery. Once free, she dedicated her life to the poor and suffering, educating all who would listen about her deliverance.
On the second Wednesday of February, only three weeks before Lent begins, let’s demonstrate our commitment to stand and act against this modern slavery. We can use the dual power of prayer and reporting. We can remember the victims who used to live next door; the school children who are kidnapped; the immigrant who was drugged or beaten into a life of subservience.
As Catholic Charities, we are not going to sit idly by when our mission calls us to advocate for justice.
Let justice include help for the victims of these crimes and, as St. Francis would say, “Let it begin with me.” Please cut out the wallet-sized form below, and hand it out where appropriate. Other agencies are doing the same, but The Observer goes out to more than 24,000 subscribers. We can all be evangelists and ministers in this campaign.
St. Josephine Bakhita. Pray for trafficking victims — and us.