Society
Of The Divine Word

“Journeying in Dignity”: Listen, Dream, Act

is the theme of the X° Edition of the International Day of Prayer and Awareness Against Human Trafficking, celebrated on Feb. 8, 2024. This day is the Feast of St Josephine Bakhita, a Sudanese nun, who as a child had the traumatic experience of being a victim of human trafficking.

Human trafficking is the process by which people are forced or lured by false prospects, recruited, relocated, and forced to work and live in exploitative or abusive conditions. It is a complex reality, often linked to migration. Human trafficking is thus a process that takes shape in the twists and turns of subjugation and violence, whether physical, psychological, or spiritual. People are disfigured and reduced to objects to be used and exploited for profit. Victims of trafficking may be forced into sexual exploitation, child, early and forced marriages, or labor exploitation in various industries, etc. (https://preghieracontrotratta.org/)

Through this pastoral guide we want to invite you to become aware of the seriousness of this crime that enslaves and exploits human beings; to let ourselves be enlightened by the Word of God, and carry out concrete actions to protect people, mostly poor and marginalized, migrants and refugee, women, and girls. And to pray for all the victims and the conversion of human traffickers.

To participate in the Day of Prayer and Reflection Against Human Trafficking and obtain more information about the week-long events organized for this year, we invite you to visit the official website: https://preghieracontrotratta.org/.