Updated List of Resources on Opposing Human Trafficking Published Today on Mercyworld.org

The complete list of Further Resources Opposing Human Trafficking published in Mercy E-News this year can be found linked to this item. If you hadn't time previously to read, watch and listen to these, or you want to check back on a listing, here's a quick and easy way to access these resources

Note:  Access the current and back issues of the Stop Trafficking newsletter

        Image:  'I'm not for sale'. iStock. Used with permission

One of focuses of the Intercommunity Peace and Justice Center, a mission based out of Seattle, Washington,  sponsored by 18 different religious orders, is on ending human trafficking. An annotated resource page with prayers, books and videos for loan, handouts, modules, presentations and websites can be found here A live, interactive webinar for junior high schools can be accessed here. See also Catholic Social Teaching and details of the monthly vigils and vigil toolkits

Seven years ago, with the help of Mercy Ministry funding, I co founded The Justice Project in Kansas City Missouri, USA. My partner in founding is Kris Wade, a survivor herself, who recently received a degree in criminal justice. We work with women who are recovering from abuses of prostitution and abuse of poverty and discrimination, working also with all areas of the Justice System. The Justice Project trains police, works with courts and legal advocates to understand the women who are victims, not criminals. We partner with many other not for profits and collaborate with all local survivor assistants. Donna Ryan rsm

The statement for the World Day of Peace on 1 January 2015, 'No Longer Slaves, but Brothers and Sisters', was released 10 December at a Vatican news conference led by Cardinal Peter Turkson, president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace. The statement which stresses individual responsibility can be read here

'...we must never for a moment forget that we are each our brother’s keepers, and that a part of ourselves is trafficked every time a brother or sister of ours is...' Archbishop Socrates B. Villegas, head of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) from the newly released Pastoral Letter on Human Trafficking. Read the Letter here

The Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Human Trafficking Initiative and the Massachusetts Medical Society Committee on Violence Intervention and Prevention have worked in partnership to create the first edition of Human Trafficking: Guidebook on Identification, Assessment, and Response in the Health Care Setting to educate and resource health care providers. The Guidebook can be downloaded here (56 pps; PDF)

Women and girls form the vast majority of human trafficking victims, both in and outside the EU. On 2 December the EP's women's rights and civil liberties organised a meeting with UN and European Commission representatives to find out the latest about the situation in the world and the implementation of the EU's strategy to eradicate human trafficking. See: Human trafficking: 80% of victims in the EU are women and girls and related resources. Access these here

Police chiefs and Church representatives from around the world joined UK Home Office ministers in London on 5-6 December for the second Santa Marta Conference organised by the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) and the Home Office, aimed at developing strategies to combat human trafficking. The Speech given by Home Secretary Theresa May can be read here . It was at the launch of the Santa Marta Group, named after the Papal residence where the participants stayed, in April 2014, that Pope Francis described human trafficking as “an open wound on the body of contemporary society; a crime against humanity”.The Pope's message for this second international conference can be read here.

'Poorly paid Indian tea workers and their destitute families are a major source for human traffickers who lure away mainly women and children with promises of a new life but who end up enslaved in factories and households, human rights organisations say in a report 'Tea workers in India falling prey to human traffickers', published in The Age Newspaper. Read the article here

One in three human trafficking victims is a child, most victims are female, and traffickers operate with wide impunity, the United Nations said in a report released on 24 November on modern-day slavery. The UNODC Global Report 2014 is the second of its kind mandated by the General Assembly. Download it here

The Commission of the Bishops' Conferences of the European Community (COMECE) and The Churches' Commission for Migrants in Europe (CCME-CEC) have called  on the EU and its member states to implement the legal framework already in place and to intensify cooperation with civil society and church organisations that work with victims of trafficking at the grassroots level. Read the press release here

The second edition of the Global Slavery Index which estimates the number of people in modern slavery in 167 countries is now available. Readers can View the Findings; Download the Report, Download the Data and View the Methodology used in the report at the Global Slavery Index website

'Planet Money makes a T-Shirt'. The world behind a simple shirt, in five chapters: 'Cotton', 'Machines', 'People', 'Boxes', 'You'. The chapter 'People' is concerned with the lives of the workers in Bangladesh and Colombia who make our shirts, women like Jasmine and Doris working long hours in difficult conditions, dreaming of better lives for their families. (06:21)

Sr Estrella Castalone FMA, Co-ordinator of Talitha Kum, an International Network of Consecrated Life Against Trafficking in Persons, based in Rome, spoke recently to the group U.S. Catholic Sisters against Human Trafficking. Watch the video here (01:16:44)

The seventh paper in the Occasional Paper Series on Combatting Trafficking in Human Beings, published by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OCSE), has just been released online (3 November 2014). The paper, 'Ending Exploitation', outlines the measures that businesses can take to ensure that trafficking in human beings does not occur in their workplaces or those of their suppliers. Download the  paper here (PDF; 105 pps). To access the series, click here

As more and more stories of human trafficking appear in newspapers and on television, consumers are increasingly asking what they can do to fight this problem. Madina Jarbussynova, Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings, Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, responds. Read the article in the Huffington Post here

In a new study conducted in the US, the Urban Institute and Northeastern University examined each step of the trafficking process and found that perpetrators are often able to commit these crimes in plain sight because embassies fail to identify glaring red flags when victims obtain U.S. visas. Download the research report 'Understanding the Organization, Operation, and Victimization Process of Labor Trafficking in the United States' (307 pps; PDF) Read a news article in the Huffington Post on the research report.

Born out of a much-needed initiative to unify the anti-trafficking movement, the recently launched online Global Modern Slavery Directory currently identifies over 850 organisations committed to ending modern slavery in over 120 countries across the world. The Directory will continue to expand in order to provide 100 per cent geographic coverage, with a minimum of 3000 contacts to be incorporated by 2017. Access the Directory here

Is your Mercy OHT organisation listed in the Directory? If not, you can apply via the form in the 'Contact' section to have your organisation listed in the Directory

To mark the 8th EU Anti-trafficking day on 18 October 2014, the European Commission is taking stock of all coordinated efforts which have been made during the 2010-2014 European Commission mandate towards the goal of eradicating human trafficking. The article and  the mid-term report of the 2012-2016 EU strategy, can be read here

Three United Nations human rights experts have called for a concerted global response to fight human trafficking worldwide as all over the world, child trafficking – often connected to the sale and sexual exploitation of children – is on the rise as a proportion of all human trafficking. Children represent 27 per cent of human trafficking. And, in recent years, the increase has been greater for girls: two out of every three child victims are young girls. Read the article here

'"Modern-day slavery is real and occurring every day in Silicon Valley," according to a new human trafficking report based on hundreds of cases of sexual exploitation and forced labor in Santa Clara and San Mateo counties since 2011...' Read the news article here. The Report, produced in partnership with Juniper Networks and human trafficking advocacy group Not For Sale, can be read here (36 pps; pdf)

Sunday 19 October 2014 is Freedom Sunday. On that day (or Saturday 18 October for those for whom Saturday is the Sabbath), churches all over the world will join together to raise awareness of the crime of human trafficking and show the world our compassion for men, women and children who are trafficked and exploited.

Details and resources for the day can be downloaded for free here

Britain's National Crime Agency has warned that human trafficking gangs are tattooing their victims to “signify ownership”. The National Crime Agency has published the third annual Strategic Assessment of the Nature and Scale of Human Trafficking in 2013. The Report shows a surge in the number of British people exploited by gangs and disclosed that some victims of human traffickers are sold between gangs for as little as £200. A news item and the report can be found here

'8 Days' is inspired by real stories of human trafficking. Amber is the lead character in the just released film '8 Days'. After sneaking to a party with her friends, sixteen year old Amber Stevens goes missing. Forced into the world of sex trafficking, her family and community fight to get her back. Inspired by actual events. So much can happen in 8 days. Watch the trailer (02:07) -visit  the promotional site

Rebecca Pober Citrin is a high school senior from Daphne, Alabama, USA who filmed a documentary on human trafficking to build awareness of the issue for her Girl Scout Gold Award project.  Watch it here (26:40)

A seven-part series of training videos on human trafficking  produced by the HOPE Campaign (Help Our Prostituted and Exploited Children) and funded through a grant from the Child Victims’ Trust Fund (CVTF) in  Kentucky USA was launched on 15 August.
View the series online here. Background Information about the series can be read here

Ohio State University's course "Human Trafficking" commenced 22 August. Join for  free. Enrol here

Pope Francis' 2015 World Peace Day message (1 January) will focus on human trafficking. "Slaves no more, but brothers and sisters" will be the title of the Message for the 48th World Day of Peace. Read the announcement here. View the clip on Rome Reports (0:55)

The report 'First decade of the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially women and children' has been released by the United Nations. The report can be downloaded here (PDF; 44 pps)

Baptist World Aid Australia has conducted an evaluation of 39 electronic brands to rate their efforts to prevent worker exploitation . Read the report and download the digital guide—both free resources—  to find out what you need to know before buying your next gadget. Find these here

Wednesday, 30 July, was the first the first World Day Against Trafficking in Persons. The focus of Mercy E-news (issue 576) was on this major theme of Mercy Global Action. Find that issue of E-news here

Statements issued for first-ever World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, 30 July 2014:
-Statement by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay
-Keynote address by UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay at special event to mark the first observation of the World Day Against Trafficking in persons.
-Statement by Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, Ms. Joy Ezeilo
-Statement by the UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon

The International Labor Organization (ILO) estimates that the illegal profits made from the use of forced labor in the private economy worldwide amount to $150.2 billion per year, exceeding both the population and GDP of many countries or territories around the world. From the report Profits and Poverty: The Economics of Forced Labour. Read the report in full or summary here or read a fact sheet here

Globally, 14 million girls under the age of 18 marry every year. An estimated 140 million girls are expected to become child brides this decade if current rates continue— that's according to the CEO of Plan International Australia which has just released a report written in conjunction with Anti-Slavery Australia, Just Married, Just a Child: Child Marriage in the Indo-Pacific Region. Read the report here (27 pps; pdf) The video clip Lamana's Story - Because I am a Girl accompanies the report (03:40).

Inside a Bangladesh garment factory.
'Meet the woman who makes Walmart’s low-priced clothes. She works 10-hour days for $103 per month. And her factory is one of the good ones...'  Read the article in US Catholic online.

'Til Everyone Can See'. This very catchy song with powerful lyrics —'Everyone is blind  'til everyone can see, No one can be free when there is slavery'—was written to launch the ILO’s Red Card to Child Labour Campaign for last month's World Day Against Child Labour. 168 million children are currently estimated to be in child labour worldwide; a number fed by situations such as the poverty forcing many Syrian refugee families to send their children to work in Lebanon.

Play the song here. (03:54)

This song features popular artists such as Pharell Williams and Sons of the Sea (among others) so would be very appealing to second level (secondary) students. Images in the video clip are from the film The Harvest (La Cosecha) by Shine Global Inc. Worth viewing.

Anti-Slavery Australia offers a free  online training program for frontline workers dealing with trafficking and slavery. Find out more details and enrol here

The 2014 World Cup is finished and Qatar’s World Cup is eight years away. '2022 FIFA World Cup slave labour deaths' describes the experiences of Nepalese workers 'in a country where trade unions are illegal and minimum wages do not exist... end[ing] up as de facto slaves on construction sites...' Read the article here.

The Australian Catholic Religious Against trafficking in Humans (ACRATH) Newsletter July 2014  provides an update of recent work and achievements. Download the newsletter here (PDF)

Tens of thousands of children from Central America are arriving alone at America's border, posing a major challenge to humanitarian systems that have been in place since World War II. For readers unfamiliar with the situation, this is a very accessible, visual presentation of the humanitarian issue which the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas Institute Leadership Team are addressing as a top priority.  Watch the presentation here (02:00) See also the article in NCR online 'Catholics respond to migrants’ humanitarian crisis' for which Kathleen Erickson rsm was interviewed about her knowledge of the situation in Honduras. Read the article here

'Human trafficking has no place in the modern world, the President of the General Assembly declared today (14 July) at a special event at United Nations Headquarters ahead of the observance of the first ever World Day against Trafficking in Persons.'  Read the article here

'Pipeline: Photo essay shows human trafficking in Italy'. 80 per cent of women trafficked to Italy come from Benin City (Edo State), in south Nigeria. This photo essay illustrates aspects of life for these women 'come to Europe under the pretence that they will be working as nannies or work in factories, with the hope they can send money back to their families. However, most of their dreams of freedom quickly collapse into a nightmare of prostitution and abuse.' Read the essay here

TRACE (Trafficking As a Criminal Enterprise), is a EU funded project that started in May 2014 and will run for two years, until April 2016. TRACE consists of a multi-disciplinary team from across Europe who will develop state-of-the-art knowledge on the business of human trafficking in an effort to support stakeholders in their fight against this crime. Details of the project can be found here

The Center for Youth’s Safe Harbour Program in Rochester, New York State last week launched two new videos to raise awareness of human trafficking. Teachers and others working with young people — learn more about sex trafficking and warning signs young people might exhibit from the Safe Harbour animation (01:43) Watch the animation here

The Faith Alliance Against Slavery and Trafficking (FAAST) website Resources section holds a number of 'Toolkits' that can be used — in whole or in part — by church, community, college and school groups to educate about trafficking. These resources have been developed by FAAST, Polaris and other organisations. View the 'Toolkits' here

'Local face of human slavery' gives access to statistics and other sites for further information on the topic. Read the article here

The video clip 'US State Department releases annual report on human trafficking, downgrades Thailand and Venezuela', produced by Rome Reports TV Agency, provides a good intoduction/overview to the TIP Report released on 20 June (02:44). View the clip which features Ken Hackett, U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See and read the transcript here

Messages to: the Editor