A Call for Action on Slavery

Pope Francis has called for concerted effort from all parts of society to address the root causes of human trafficking, which he describes as a crime against humanity.  He made this call in a message to a forum on modern-day slavery that was held this month in in Argentina.

After listing some of the forms of slavery today, such as human trafficking, exploitation of workers through debt  bondage and sexual exploitation, he said: “According to some statistics, there would be 40 million people, men, but especially women and children, who suffer slavery … if they lived in a single city, it would be the largest megalopolis on our planet….. more or less, four times the population of Buenos Aires and Greater Buenos Aires.”

Pope Francis insisted that “the key to solving the problem of slavery lies in addressing the root causes and improving the situations of countries where slavery is common place.”

This message reminds us as Brigidines to hold in reflection and prayer these manifestations of exploitation, injustice and suffering and to take decisive action for justice in whatever ways we can to address the root causes of human trafficking and other forms of slavery today.

Source: Vatican News.