Australian Catholic Religious Against Trafficking in Humans is committed to working together towards the elimination of human trafficking in Australia, the Asia Pacific and internationally. (Mission Statement)
ACRATH, Australian Catholic Religious Against Trafficking in Humans, has started the year by looking at ways of ensuring the future continuance of the work.
At a national meeting in February, it was decided that more emphasis would be placed on state work - and already Victoria and New South Wales have convenors and are moving forward.
ACRATH chair Sister Pauline Coll SGS (Brisbane) who described this move as "good growth" said, too, that they were researching ways to further improve the structures so that the work against trafficking would continue as long as it was needed and would not be dependent only on passionate individuals.
"We are all getting older and it would be sad if any group depended on individuals or personalities. So we want to set in place something that will ensure that the mission of ACRATH continues." She sees collaboration and mentoring as important strategies, too.
ACRATH will have input at World Youth Day activities in July and in September, members will visit Canberra to lobby the new government. ACRATH wrote to Mr Rudd shortly after the new government took office. A positive and encouraging reply was received.
ACRATH, which has the endorsement of Catholic Religious Australia, will continue to be involved internationally, too.
Sr Pauline will represent Australia at
Congress 2008: Women Religious in Network Against Trafficking in Persons - under the auspice of
UISG (International Union of Superiors General) and
IOM, (International Organisation for Migration) - June 2-6, in Rome.
These groups have been running counter-trafficking training sessions for women religious for about five years in various parts of the world and are now looking to set up an international network.
The importance of religious women and men in counter-trafficking activities has been outlined in an article by Stefan Volpicelli in an article, The Strategic Role of Religious Personnel, in the IOM ejournal, Global Eye on Human Trafficking (March 2008). In part it reads:
Alongside physicians, psychologists,sociologists, media experts, educators and social workers, religious men and women have steadfastly supported projects to deal with the scourge of trafficking in human beings from the very outset of counter-trafficking actions. These religious persons - often silently - have been playing an important role in the implementation of a pluralistic strategy, either individually or in partnership with Governmental and Non-Governmental agencies.
Religious women have been key players in assisting and sheltering victims of trafficking in countries of origin, transit and destination. They have helped them to recover through trainings and family tracing.
Religious men have not only been involved in awareness raising activities but also have served as advisors for religious believers, giving guidance on adhering to religious precepts in making everyday life decisions.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Rome has been entrusted with the design and presentation of a training programme to provide religious personnel with the opportunity to hone their practical skills in preventing and raising awareness on trafficking and in assisting its victims. This programme's focus on religious personnel has been an innovative opportunity not only because it professionalizes the contribution of religious personnel, but also because it illustrates partnership between religious congregations and local and international representatives of civil society.
Catholic women were first targeted because many of them were already active in the field of trafficking and only needed to improve their skills by adopting a method of work that would help them in networking with other religious personnel and agency professionals. (
complete article)
The counter-trafficking training sessions project was supported by the US Embassy to the Holy See and funded by the Bureau of Refugee and Migrants of the US Government.
It has reached about 400 women religious in Italy, Nigeria, Romania, Albania, Thailand; the Dominican Republic Dominican Republic with the participation of women religious from Haiti; the Philippines with the participation from Japan, Taiwan, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Timor Leste, South Korea and Australia; Brazil; Portugal with the participation of women religious from Guinea Bissau, Sao Tome and Principi, Angola, Mozambique, Brazil; South Africa with the participation from Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Botswana, Namibia, Swaziland and Zambia. During 2007-2008, the sessions are being taken to West Africa in Senegal involving Mali, Burkina Faso, Togo, Benin, Ivory Coast, Sierra Leone, Niger, Guinea and Tchad.
As well as providing training, the work also has contributed to the formation of national and regional networks which has led to the realisation that an international network was needed. As the training work comes to an end in 2008, the Rome congress will look at forming an international network most likely under the UISG /UIG (International Union of Superiors General) banner.
While overseas, Sr Pauline will visit New York where she hopes to meet with representatives of other agencies, particularly UNANIMA where Australian Sr Louise Cleary CSB has been working for several months.
UNANIMA International an NGO (nongovernmental organisation) is committed to working for justice at the international level in harmony with the charter of the United Nations for the economic and social advancement of all peoples. Founded in 2002 by representatives from seven congregations of women religious with a vision that by their united action they could make a difference, by the end of 2007, it had 16 congregations with more than 17000 members in 65 countries.
related links of interest
from the ABC website: Exactly a year ago on Sunday Night our guest was American Award-winning journalist David Batstone, and author of "Not for Sale: the return of the Global Slave Trade".
Batstone who is also professor of Ethics at the University of San Francisco and the founder and president of Right Reality, an international social venture firm, was keen to encourage Australians to take up the cudgels in this most recent round of a very ancient trade, the 'Traffic in Souls'.
It's not just prostitution. Some of you may have heard the concern expressed by Tim Costello this week over the horrors of the Chocolate plantations of West Africa were forced and indentured child labour is still common place, and the big companies who buy the stuff for our consumption, don't seem to care.
Tonight a year on, David Batstone is back in Australia joined by Sister Pauline Coll of Australian Catholic Religious Against Trafficking in Humans, and Jennifer Burn, Director of the University of Technology Sydney Anti-slavery project.
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March 2008 edition (issue 2) of
Global Eye on Human Trafficking, a bulletin of news, information and analysis on the phenomenon of trafficking in persons. Published quarterly.
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