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Forced displacements as a result of armed conflict, violence, natural causes, persecution or when basic human rights are at stake, can be incredibly taxing for any person seeking refuge. According to The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) there were approximately 82.4 million people forcibly displaced worldwide as of the end of 2020. Children are noted to account for almost half (42%) of all forcibly displaced people. This number is likely to continue to escalate, rather quickly, in light of recent world events.
Migrants, refugees, and other forcibly displaced people represent vulnerable populations that are highly susceptible to human rights violations, abuses, and crimes such as human trafficking. Women and children remain one of the most vulnerable groups worldwide. Lack of family, friends, community support, knowledge of local customs, language, laws, or viable work options further places these individuals at high-risk. Their vulnerability is further compounded by cultural challenges such as discriminatory beliefs and behaviors in society often leaving them further isolated. Individuals are forced to flee from their home of origin for a myriad of underlining reasons in order to survive, seeking safe refuge, protect their freedom and basic right to live. Understanding the individuality of each person’s story is standing on the principle of solidarity with fellow human beings along their journey and overcoming discriminatory assumptions and judgements. The Catholic Catechism reminds us to “welcome the foreigner in search of the security and the means of livelihood which he cannot find in his country of origin.” Upholding the dignity of every individual, regardless of migration status or nationality, should be at the forefront of all of our humanity. Monthly column written for St. Joseph Catholic Church, Tampa, FL CLICK HERE
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January is Human Trafficking Awareness Month. Human trafficking is in essence the act of recruiting, transporting, transferring, harboring, or the receipt of persons using force, fraud, or coercion for the purposes of exploitation be it through prostitution, other forms of sexual exploitation, forced labor or services as well as the removal of organs.
According to the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the Walk Free Foundation, an estimated 40.3 million people are trapped in human trafficking situations around the world, of which 24.9 million people find themselves victims of forced labor (16 million in the private sector which includes agriculture, construction work and domestic servitude, 4.8 million in forced sexual exploitation and 4 million in forced labour imposed by state authorities). The remaining 15.4 million people find themselves in forced marriages. Most importantly, it happens everywhere. Vulnerability is the key factor exploited by traffickers. This vulnerability can include socio-economic inequalities, political instability such as war, violence, poverty, food insecurity, housing insecurity, mental health issues, cultural attitudes that marginalize individuals based on ethnicity, gender, age, or disabilities. While the crime disproportionally affects women and children particularly in the commercial sex industry, the crime can affect persons of any gender, ethnicity, and age. While laws exist against the crime, the biggest challenge lies in how the culture we live in may be enabling the crime to continue to perpetuate. We are aware human trafficking exists, it is time to dive deeper and understand how and why it continues to happen. What can we do in our everyday lives that can help minimize vulnerabilities to the people in our own community? Educating ourselves and more importantly learning what role can we play in helping to eradicate the crime is crucial. By upholding the dignity of every person around us, protecting those involved in labor or services to remain free from exploitative and abusive practices, we can help create a culture that will not allow people to be treated as commodities. For additional resources visit www.polarisproject.org If you or anyone you know needs help: CALL 1 (888) 373-7888 or TEXT “BEFREE” to 2337 Monthly column written for St. Joseph Catholic Church, Tampa, FL AVAILABLE HERE  With over 40 million people still enslaved around the world, this book takes a closer look at the role of culture in society and how certain practices, beliefs or behaviors may be fuelling human trafficking beyond what the law can curtail. The study reveals cultural elements that conflict with existing anti-human trafficking laws across three case studies (United States, India and Costa Rica). There is no simple answer or a single solution to stop or significantly reduce the crime, but a pragmatic, multi-disciplinary, and human rights approach to the problem may bring to light that, efforts to curtail human trafficking will be in vain if we rely on law alone. A fundamental shift in culture is imperative.
Available Now: https://bit.ly/EradicatingHumanTraffickingCultureLawandPolicy (Brill/Nijhoff) The holidays bring about one of the happiest times of the year. We brush aside our worries to focus on creating happy memories for the season with fun traditions, decorations, parties, and gifts. While Catholics focus on an underlining reason of the season, there is also a constant pull for attention as it relates to finding great deals and shopping for that perfect and on-time gift.
While gifts can certainly bring joy, it is important to pause and note the rise of consumption which often prompts attitudes that can interfere with the dignity of every person or a disregard for the world we live in. Attitudes that prioritize our immediate convenience and wants which may also have an indirect or direct correlation to fueling realities like forced labor and sex trafficking which target the most vulnerable in society. Pope Francis talks about a “throwaway culture” in his 2015 encyclical letter LAUDATO SI which highlights how much of what is produced can quickly turn into waste, with a direct harmful impact on our planet, contributing to environmental deterioration, while also giving rise to inequality in the world. The Letter appeals for the need of a new lifestyle to counteract our excessive, often wasteful, use of products and natural resources which carry significantly negative consequences for future generations. This throwaway culture can also translate into harmful disregard for others around us including vulnerable groups such as migrants and people with disabilities to name a few. Pope Francis calls for us all to “seek a sustainable and integral development” where the dignity and well-being of every person is prioritized and upheld within the environment and planet in which we live in. What one thing can we do differently that can help ensure the dignity of those around us and the planet that we live in? Gift giving is a wonderful tradition. May this holiday season, we also remember to make tradition spending time with family, friends, and those we love and also reflect how we may prioritize a sense of humanity for those around us, which can help us all live a life of dignity and well-being. Monthly column written for St. Joseph Catholic Church, Tampa, FL AVAILABLE HERE  To commemorate Human Rights Day (December 10th) I had the opportunity to talk with Deborah Billings and Jessica Hylton from Kristi House's Prevention Education Team about human rights and the nexus with human trafficking and culture.
View the full conversation HERE Find out more about Kristi House and their mission HERE To help those in need, it is important to listen and work together. To do good in this world, often means to wait, listen, discern, and appropriately respond instead of simply reacting out of habit or with stale structures and processes. Our world is constantly changing, and the needs are greater than ever physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. Natural disasters, political tensions, violence, and other key factors continue to threaten peace and security for so many and pushing irregular and dangerous patterns of migration.
While basic needs such as food, water, shelter, clothing and sanitation and healthcare should be a priority there are additional fundamental human needs. These needs appeal more to the human rights and dignity of each person such as safety, understanding, well-being, love, acceptance, esteem, identity, and self-determination. Pope Francis has called for a two-year “Synod” process (2021-2023) where Bishops worldwide are called upon to consult within their own parish and inter se prior to the end of the period (2023). As he has noted “a synodal Church is a Church which listens”. This process calls for 3 key steps: encounter, listen and discern. It calls for us all, religious, and lay people, to walk in lockstep with the humanity around us. To listen to, not just hear, the voice of all individuals within the community, with empathy and sensibility even to our own prejudices. How are we as listeners? Do we include voices of people different from us? Do we take the time to connect with those that have had significant challenges along their journey? Do we strive to learn and seek to understand or simply convert others to our way of thinking? When we engage in active listening and open dialogue, a positive transformation within our culture can truly take shape. Monthly column written for St. Joseph Catholic Church, Tampa, FL https://bit.ly/CCBulletin112821 Underlining tensions around the topic of migration, including discriminatory attitudes, such as racism and xenophobia, often result in aggressive behaviors and even violence towards the migrant community. Inequalities and lack of a proper infrastructure, opportunities or perspective within the host country can also heighten fear and intolerance creating a further divide within communities and fuel the migrant’s treacherous journey.
These journeyers find themselves extremely vulnerable to exploitation and violence, many unaware of their rights and protections within their new, often overwhelming, surroundings. Irregular migration also fosters gender-based violence to take place, primarily against women and girls, with incidents being largely underreported. This constant state of fear and trauma within a migrant’s journey is damaging to their overall health and well-being and detrimental in preventing them from living out their full potential as a contributing member of society. Despite laws in place, overall cultural divides and prejudices against migrants often diminish or delay a safe and peaceful refuge. Further defining groups within the migratory community, international law recognizes refugees as individuals with a well-founded fear of persecution based on their race, religion, nationality, social or political affiliation and unable or, due to such fear, unwilling to seek protection from or return to their country of origin. According to the principle of non-refoulement, this refugee should remain in the host country to avoid serious threat to their freedom and most crucially, their life. How are we helping to foster peace and security for those risking everything to find protection from violence and exploitation in search of a better life? Are we able to see past the migrant label and uphold every person’s human dignity so they can become an integral part of their new community? Monthly column written for St. Joseph Catholic Church, Tampa, FL https://bit.ly/CCBulletin111421  Political unrest, natural disasters, ongoing conflict, and unstable economies have continued to plague the lives and safety of many individuals seeking refuge and or a better quality of life outside their country of origin. According to UNICEF the number of international migrant children in 2020 reached 36 million.
The trajectory of migration can be challenging and often extremely dangerous for anyone to endure. This migration process, especially forced or involuntary, can be equally if not more taxing on children whose lives are often violently disrupted and are forced to flee, in the face of danger or challenging circumstances. Desperate parents or caregivers often resort to extreme measures to ensure a better, if only a little chance, of a better life for their children. The impact of migration, particularly conflict-induced, on a child can be mentally, physically, and emotionally traumatizing, severely impacting their development, education, and well-being. Children of immigrant families are an extremely vulnerable group often falling into exploitative and abusive situations including that of sex and labor trafficking. Migrant children, particularly those from less affluent circles, often lie at the mercy of systems that are not always adequate as they seek refuge in a new country. These children often face challenges in accessing basic services including education, health, and strong community support. They may also be at the mercy of a society that subjects them to discriminatory attitudes furthering impacting their childhood experience, overseeing the dire need that lies in protecting and upholding the dignity of every human life seeking a better life, most of all children. How are we welcoming and walking next to these young individuals and their migratory stories as future contributors within our global society? Monthly column written for St. Joseph Catholic Church, Tampa, FL https://bit.ly/CCBulletin100321 Our world continues to experience multiple humanitarian crises that consistently put millions of lives at risk. As the UN notes, humanitarian crises “often result or exacerbate human rights concerns.” These crisis events significantly disrupt the safety and well-being of individuals, which force accelerated migratory patterns, and in many cases, make the transition a dangerous one. These events can also challenge our tolerance, empathy, and humanity.
A migrant’s journey usually carries a heavy burden. For individuals that are forced to flee their country of origin due to natural disasters, economic, conflict, violence, or other major emergencies, their transition can be extremely taxing and even a traumatic one. Amidst a backdrop of a pandemic, migrants must often also battle multiple dangers such as facing discriminatory practices, exposure to violence and exploitation based on their vulnerable circumstances, in particular women and girls. Everybody’s safety and well-being should be regarded, and above all a sense of cooperation that rallies around the dignity of every human being. No country has a monopoly on stability and a pandemic can often remind us how universal hard times and suffering can be. Let’s urge each other to respond with an attitude of kindness and cooperation during these dark times especially to those seeking asylum. True hope for humanity lies in lifting each other up and our ability to uphold the human dignity of those around us. Monthly column written for St. Joseph Catholic Church, Tampa, FL https://bit.ly/CCBulletin082221 While immigration laws and procedures can be quite a controversial and delicate topic to tackle, denying a person’s human rights and freedom of movement, directly compromises a person’s humanity and dignity. According to the UN in 2020 approximately 281 million people worldwide, lived outside their country of origin.
While pull factors like work, study abroad or family ties are behind a migrant’s journey, push factors from their country of origin such as fleeing from violence, political unrest, economic crisis, and climate change are also part of their reality. Migrants face vulnerabilities in countries of transit or countries of arrival such as lack of resources, support network, fluency in local language or discriminatory practices. Moreover, migrants often face discriminatory practices such as racism, xenophobia and related intolerance which exposes them to abuse such as violence, exploitation, and human trafficking. As the USCCB reminds us there is a “misconception that immigrants are criminals and a threat to our unity, security and well-being” often overshadowing our need to respect an individual’s human dignity. Catholics, for example, have responded with a high call to maintain human dignity at the center of enacting immigration laws. Corporations also have a high social responsibility to ensure their migrant labor contracts and worker practices are in line with respecting the dignity of the person and mitigate labor trafficking dangers. We all have a story, which more than likely includes movement for one reason or another. As we journey through life, let’s remember to uphold the dignity of every person we encounter. Monthly column written for St. Joseph Catholic Church, Tampa, FL https://bit.ly/CCBulletin080121 |
gaby DeBellisLL.M., J.S.D., 
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