At 11:30 this morning, in the John Paul II Hall at the Vatican Press Centre, there was a Press Conference held to present the Talitha Kum Campaign (the International Network of Consecrated Life against Human Trafficking) for the Brazil World Cup 2014: Play for life, not for lives.
Present at this morning's Press Conference were His Eminence, Cardinal João Braz de Aviz, Prefect for the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life; Misress Antoinette C. Hurtado, Second Secretary of the Embassy of the United States of America to the Holy See, representing the American Ambassador, His Excellency, Kenneth Francis Hackett; Sister Carmen Sammut, MSOLA, President of the International Union of Superiors General; Sister Estrella Castalone, FMA, Coordinator of Talitha Kum; and Sister Gabriella Bottani, SMC, Coordinator of the Um Grito pela Vida Network (Brazil).
Below are the transcripts of presentations made on behalf of Mister Kenneth Hackett, Sister Carmen Sammut, and Sister Estrella Castalone.
Intervention presented on behalf of His Excellency Kenneth Francis Hackett
Ambassador of the United States of America to the Holy See
The U.S. Embassy is proud to be here today to support Talitha Kum’s campaign to combat trafficking in persons during this year’s World Cup. Combating this scourge is an important goal of both the United States and the Catholic Church. Pope Francis has spoken out strongly against what he calls a crime against humanity. And U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has also spoken out forcefully against trafficking as a form of modern-day slavery. He said, We find perhaps no greater threat to human dignity, no greater assault on basic freedom, than the evil of human trafficking.
The World Cup this summer provides a high-visibility platform for Talitha Kum to raise awareness about the reality of human trafficking and help those participating in the events to not fall victim to traffickers. For years, it has been apparent that this crime affects every country in the world – as many as 27 million people are victims. And we see that this one, like so many other 21st century challenges, does not exist in a vacuum. It is interconnected with so many of our other foreign-policy concerns, from environmental sustainability to advancing the lives of women and girls to combating transnational organized crime.
The State Department works hand-in-hand with governments, the private sector, and faith-based groups to end this scourge and to identify the people who are enslaved and free them, and to hold those accountable who placed them in that jeopardy. Secretary Kerry recently announced the State Department is planning to work with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in order to map and coordinate the church’s efforts on a global basis to combat this crime. Recognizing the broad reach of the Catholic Church, we hope this partnership will be another method to share best practices and identify caregivers and advocates. And we hope it will ramp up our capacity around the world to be able to identify victims and get them the help they need.
People of all faiths can see that when we embrace our common humanity and stand up for the dignity of all people, we realize the vision of a world that is more caring and more just — a world free from slavery.
We thank Sister Estrella for the wonderful work she is doing in leading Talitha Kum’s international network. And we thank all the sisters worldwide who are working to assist victims of trafficking on the ground. They are sometimes the unsung heroes of this work but are doing the important job of directly aiding those most in need. We want you to know the Embassy recognizes and supports your work.
We are happy to partner with you on this campaign and we wish Talitha Kum continued success in this vital work.
Intervention presented by Sister Carmen Sammut, MSOLA
President of the International Union of Superiors General
In the name of the Internationale Union of Superior Generals, I would like to welcome all of you who have come to this press conference. We are here today because we consider nothing that is human alien to us (Terence, Roman playwright of the second century BC).
Injustice, oppression, cruelty towards others fills our hearts with indignation and calls us to act. Human trafficking is unfortunately one of the most hideous crimes of our times. This crime touches us as men and women who are not indifferent to the suffering of the others. It touches us because we believe in the dignity and the freedom of every human being. This touches us because we have met women and men who have been thus sold as sexual objects into other countries and who needed a helping hand so as to get out of the hell they were living in.
In fact just one woman, one child, one man, sold into slavery today is one lost life too many. Yet, unfortunately, this crime is present everywhere, for the profits from it are enormous.
Prevention of this type of human trafficking entails reducing the demands for sexual services. In order for this to happen, public opinion needs to be alerted. That is why it is good that we be here today. We need to make people conscious of what happens on the margins of big world events such as the Fifa World Cup and the suffering of those who are trafficked.
Without this awareness, without acting together in favour of human dignity, the World Cup Finals may turn out to be a terrible shame instead of a feast for humanity.
Intervention presented by Sister Estrella Castalone, FMA
Coordinator of Talitha Kum
Introduction
Talitha Kum was born after the 2009 Congress Religious in network against human trafficking promoted by the International Union of Superiors General and OIM, and financed by the government of the USA through US-PRM in Rome. The network was established in part by the Executive Committee of the IUSG on September 21, 2009 as the International Network of Consecrated Life against Human Trafficking with the general objective of sharing and optimizing the resources that religious life possesses in favour of preventative interventions, sensitizing and denouncing of human trafficking and the protection and provision of assistance to victims and to vulnerable persons.
Five years later, Talitha Kum presently comprises twenty-four networks representing seventy-nine countries with more than 800 religious men and women from 240 Congregations participating, all committed to putting an end to human trafficking.
Today, more than ever, our mission to fight trafficking is becoming urgent because - as Cardinal Braz de Aviz already said - our Holy Father asks us to keep this reality close to our hearts in prayer: today, human beings are considered to be the same as any consumable good which can be used and then discarded ... this is a throw-away society (May 16, 2013) and we the Church, must remember that by healing the wounds of refugees, displaced persons and victims of human trafficking, we practice the commandment of love that Jesus left us when he identified himself with the stranger, with suffering, with every innocent victim of violence and exploitation (May 24, 2013) ... I should like to raise with you a question which concerns me very much and which currently threatens the dignity of persons: the trafficking of human beings. This is truly a form of slavery, which unfortunately is becoming more and more widespread, which concerns every country, even the most developed ones, and which involves the most vulnerable persons in society: women, children, babies, the disabled and the poor who experience deteriorating family and social situations. In them, in a special way, we Christians recognize the face of Jesus Christ, who identified himself with the little ones and with those in need (December 12, 2013).
For this reason, Talitha Kum is committed to promoting activities which:
The Campaign against trafficking at the World Cup in Brazil 2014
Among the preventative activities which Talitha Kum sponsors is the campaign against trafficking at world events that affect human mobility - such as - the World Cup in Brazil. On occasions such as this, in fact, many people are forced to work in various sectors of industry and tourism such as hotels, bars, restaurants, and transportation of merchandise and persons. Offers of employment are many and there is often an influx of persons from neighbouring countries in search of employment; many of these come from rural areas into cities which are hosting such matches.
Unfortunately, those who accept job offers can sometimes be deceived and become victims of various forms of exploitation. Aware of such scenarios, we are committed to stopping the trafficking of persons during the World Cup in Brazil.
Sister Gabriella Bottani, SMC is coordinating more than 250 religious who are directly involved in this campaign along with their lay partners. They, along with the Brazilian Sisters and representatives of our network in Latin America held a Seminar-Workshop in Brasilia in November, 2013 to define the platform of this campaign. She will speak about the initiatives and activities which are being worked on by religious in order to reawaken the conscience about trafficking and all that is possible concerning efforts to prevent this tragedy during events such as this. I wish to conclude by inviting all of you to be solid in your commitment with us, not only in this country, but in the wider world in order to put an end to this horrible slavery in the words of our Holy Father: Together, we can and we must work toward the liberation of victims and toward putting an end to this horrible trade. Human trafficking is a crime against humanity. We must unite our efforts in order to liberate victims and to put an end to this crime ... (December 12, 2013).
Present at this morning's Press Conference were His Eminence, Cardinal João Braz de Aviz, Prefect for the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life; Misress Antoinette C. Hurtado, Second Secretary of the Embassy of the United States of America to the Holy See, representing the American Ambassador, His Excellency, Kenneth Francis Hackett; Sister Carmen Sammut, MSOLA, President of the International Union of Superiors General; Sister Estrella Castalone, FMA, Coordinator of Talitha Kum; and Sister Gabriella Bottani, SMC, Coordinator of the Um Grito pela Vida Network (Brazil).
Below are the transcripts of presentations made on behalf of Mister Kenneth Hackett, Sister Carmen Sammut, and Sister Estrella Castalone.
Intervention presented on behalf of His Excellency Kenneth Francis Hackett
Ambassador of the United States of America to the Holy See
The U.S. Embassy is proud to be here today to support Talitha Kum’s campaign to combat trafficking in persons during this year’s World Cup. Combating this scourge is an important goal of both the United States and the Catholic Church. Pope Francis has spoken out strongly against what he calls a crime against humanity. And U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has also spoken out forcefully against trafficking as a form of modern-day slavery. He said, We find perhaps no greater threat to human dignity, no greater assault on basic freedom, than the evil of human trafficking.
The World Cup this summer provides a high-visibility platform for Talitha Kum to raise awareness about the reality of human trafficking and help those participating in the events to not fall victim to traffickers. For years, it has been apparent that this crime affects every country in the world – as many as 27 million people are victims. And we see that this one, like so many other 21st century challenges, does not exist in a vacuum. It is interconnected with so many of our other foreign-policy concerns, from environmental sustainability to advancing the lives of women and girls to combating transnational organized crime.
The State Department works hand-in-hand with governments, the private sector, and faith-based groups to end this scourge and to identify the people who are enslaved and free them, and to hold those accountable who placed them in that jeopardy. Secretary Kerry recently announced the State Department is planning to work with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in order to map and coordinate the church’s efforts on a global basis to combat this crime. Recognizing the broad reach of the Catholic Church, we hope this partnership will be another method to share best practices and identify caregivers and advocates. And we hope it will ramp up our capacity around the world to be able to identify victims and get them the help they need.
People of all faiths can see that when we embrace our common humanity and stand up for the dignity of all people, we realize the vision of a world that is more caring and more just — a world free from slavery.
We thank Sister Estrella for the wonderful work she is doing in leading Talitha Kum’s international network. And we thank all the sisters worldwide who are working to assist victims of trafficking on the ground. They are sometimes the unsung heroes of this work but are doing the important job of directly aiding those most in need. We want you to know the Embassy recognizes and supports your work.
We are happy to partner with you on this campaign and we wish Talitha Kum continued success in this vital work.
Intervention presented by Sister Carmen Sammut, MSOLA
President of the International Union of Superiors General
In the name of the Internationale Union of Superior Generals, I would like to welcome all of you who have come to this press conference. We are here today because we consider nothing that is human alien to us (Terence, Roman playwright of the second century BC).
Injustice, oppression, cruelty towards others fills our hearts with indignation and calls us to act. Human trafficking is unfortunately one of the most hideous crimes of our times. This crime touches us as men and women who are not indifferent to the suffering of the others. It touches us because we believe in the dignity and the freedom of every human being. This touches us because we have met women and men who have been thus sold as sexual objects into other countries and who needed a helping hand so as to get out of the hell they were living in.
In fact just one woman, one child, one man, sold into slavery today is one lost life too many. Yet, unfortunately, this crime is present everywhere, for the profits from it are enormous.
Prevention of this type of human trafficking entails reducing the demands for sexual services. In order for this to happen, public opinion needs to be alerted. That is why it is good that we be here today. We need to make people conscious of what happens on the margins of big world events such as the Fifa World Cup and the suffering of those who are trafficked.
Without this awareness, without acting together in favour of human dignity, the World Cup Finals may turn out to be a terrible shame instead of a feast for humanity.
Intervention presented by Sister Estrella Castalone, FMA
Coordinator of Talitha Kum
Introduction
Talitha Kum was born after the 2009 Congress Religious in network against human trafficking promoted by the International Union of Superiors General and OIM, and financed by the government of the USA through US-PRM in Rome. The network was established in part by the Executive Committee of the IUSG on September 21, 2009 as the International Network of Consecrated Life against Human Trafficking with the general objective of sharing and optimizing the resources that religious life possesses in favour of preventative interventions, sensitizing and denouncing of human trafficking and the protection and provision of assistance to victims and to vulnerable persons.
Five years later, Talitha Kum presently comprises twenty-four networks representing seventy-nine countries with more than 800 religious men and women from 240 Congregations participating, all committed to putting an end to human trafficking.
Today, more than ever, our mission to fight trafficking is becoming urgent because - as Cardinal Braz de Aviz already said - our Holy Father asks us to keep this reality close to our hearts in prayer: today, human beings are considered to be the same as any consumable good which can be used and then discarded ... this is a throw-away society (May 16, 2013) and we the Church, must remember that by healing the wounds of refugees, displaced persons and victims of human trafficking, we practice the commandment of love that Jesus left us when he identified himself with the stranger, with suffering, with every innocent victim of violence and exploitation (May 24, 2013) ... I should like to raise with you a question which concerns me very much and which currently threatens the dignity of persons: the trafficking of human beings. This is truly a form of slavery, which unfortunately is becoming more and more widespread, which concerns every country, even the most developed ones, and which involves the most vulnerable persons in society: women, children, babies, the disabled and the poor who experience deteriorating family and social situations. In them, in a special way, we Christians recognize the face of Jesus Christ, who identified himself with the little ones and with those in need (December 12, 2013).
For this reason, Talitha Kum is committed to promoting activities which:
- protect and assist victims and vulnerable persons by providing accommodations and welcome centres for healing and recovery, and to providing pastoral care in detention centres for illegal immigrants and refugees;
- prevent trafficking: by preparing religious and lay pastoral workers to be most qualified through courses of formation so that they may be best suited to handle strategic interventions on the phenomenon of human trafficking and be equipped with all necessary knowledge and skills; we are also offering an education campaign aimed at increasing public awareness in order to warn vulnerable persons to be more vigilant; in addition, campaigns against trafficking are mobilized to offer public statements especially during world events; there are a number of projects aimed at the generation of income which the Sisters and their Congregations will use mostly to help women and children in deprived areas so that they can achieve economic stability and be less vulnerable to the lure of indiscriminate migration; and we offer a Child Protection Program, a series of activities to help with the development of children and their parents especially in disadvantaged areas, in order to protect children and to keep them from falling prey to traffickers;
- build partnerships: we believe that we should share our efforts with other pastoral workers. In fact, Talitha Kum is a network because we know that human trafficking is a very well organized criminal network which is well connected between one part of the world and another; only through a network of salvation and hope can we prevent the weak and most vulnerable from becoming commodities. Faced with this criminal network, Talitha Kum is committed to weaving together the many resources available to religious life with other sectors of society in order to build a network that strives to give life and hope to the people involved in trafficking.
The Campaign against trafficking at the World Cup in Brazil 2014
Among the preventative activities which Talitha Kum sponsors is the campaign against trafficking at world events that affect human mobility - such as - the World Cup in Brazil. On occasions such as this, in fact, many people are forced to work in various sectors of industry and tourism such as hotels, bars, restaurants, and transportation of merchandise and persons. Offers of employment are many and there is often an influx of persons from neighbouring countries in search of employment; many of these come from rural areas into cities which are hosting such matches.
Unfortunately, those who accept job offers can sometimes be deceived and become victims of various forms of exploitation. Aware of such scenarios, we are committed to stopping the trafficking of persons during the World Cup in Brazil.
Sister Gabriella Bottani, SMC is coordinating more than 250 religious who are directly involved in this campaign along with their lay partners. They, along with the Brazilian Sisters and representatives of our network in Latin America held a Seminar-Workshop in Brasilia in November, 2013 to define the platform of this campaign. She will speak about the initiatives and activities which are being worked on by religious in order to reawaken the conscience about trafficking and all that is possible concerning efforts to prevent this tragedy during events such as this. I wish to conclude by inviting all of you to be solid in your commitment with us, not only in this country, but in the wider world in order to put an end to this horrible slavery in the words of our Holy Father: Together, we can and we must work toward the liberation of victims and toward putting an end to this horrible trade. Human trafficking is a crime against humanity. We must unite our efforts in order to liberate victims and to put an end to this crime ... (December 12, 2013).
No comments:
Post a Comment