Human Trafficking

Today, women, men and children in the U.S. and around the world are subjected to forced labor, domestic servitude and the sex trade at the hands of human traffickers. Pope Francis and other faith leaders have condemned human trafficking, calling it a crime against humanity, a scourge and an open wound in contemporary society.

On February 8, we celebrate the feast of St. Josephine Bahkita, the patroness of those who are enslaved or trafficked.

Facts & Figures

There are an estimated 43 million victims of human trafficking worldwide, with the majority trapped in situations of labor trafficking.
Each year, an estimated 17,500 men, women, and children are trafficked across U.S. borders and forced into slavery.
Unfortunately, stakeholders have increasingly found that individuals in situations of forced migration, such as refugees and unaccompanied children, are particularly vulnerable to labor and sex traffickers.
Victim identification remains a significant challenge to U.S. efforts to prevent trafficking, prosecute perpetrators, and protect victims.
In Fiscal Year 2016, the Federal Bureau of Investigations opened 1,894 domestic and international trafficking cases and the Department of Homeland Security initiated 1,025 cases.
Although sex trafficking remains a serious problem, foreign victims are more often found in situations of labor trafficking. In fact, the two largest trafficking cases in the United States involved labor trafficking in Guam and New York.

Church Teaching

As Catholics, we believe in the dignity of every human life and vehemently oppose human trafficking and modern-day slavery as it contravenes basic human dignity. Pope Francis has stated: “Human trafficking is an open wound on the body of contemporary society, a scourge upon the body of Christ.”

United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB)

Human Trafficking

Church Documents

USCCB:

How Do I Identify a Human Trafficking Victim?

Child Victims of Human Trafficking: U.S. Unaccompanied Minor Refugee Program

The Vatican:

What does Sacred Scripture say?

What does the Catechism of the Catholic Church say?

What do the Papal Encyclicals say?

Recommended Materials

The AMISTAD Movement
USCCB/MRS created the Amistad Movement to educate and engage immigrant leaders in the fight against human trafficking within communities that are frequently vulnerable to trafficking and exploitation in the United States. The Amistad Movement is intended to empower immigrants through a comprehensive and intensive training program.

SHEPHERD Toolkit (Stop Human Trafficking and Exploitation, Protect, Help, Empower and Restore Dignity)
USCCB/MRS is continually working to raise awareness of human trafficking and modern day slavery within the American Catholic community.

COMPASS (Coalition of Organizations and Ministries Promoting the Abolition of Slavery at Sea)
Through a cooperative agreement with the Department of State, and in furtherance of its relationship with the Apostleship of the Sea, USCCB/MRS works to strengthen the coordination, collaboration, and capacity of the global Catholic Church’s response to maritime trafficking and labor exploitation, as well as supply chain transparency.

Trafficking Victims Assistance Program (TVAP)
USCCB/MRS provides case management services to foreign-born survivors of trafficking and derivative family members as part of TVAP, funded by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).