Diocese of Orlando Announces Campaign to Fight Human Trafficking

As many as 17,500 human beings are trafficked into the country each year and an estimated 12.3 million are currently enslaved in the U.S.  Florida is believed to be one of the top three destinations for human traffickers.

ORLANDO, Fla. (Catholic Online) - The Bishops of Florida are calling on all Catholics to join the fight against human trafficking. A new campaign was announced Thursday by the Diocese of Orlando. The large number of immigrants and runaway youths in Central Florida makes the area conducive to human trafficking, so awareness here is of utmost importance.

The U.S. State Department estimates that as many as 17,500 human beings are trafficked into the country each year and an estimated 12.3 million are currently enslaved in the U.S.  Men, women and children have been forced to work in prostitution rings, child pornography and enslaved in different types of manual labor without pay or protection. 

Florida is believed to be one of the top three destinations for human traffickers, according to the Center for the Advancement of Human Rights at Florida State University.

The Bishops of Florida have worked with other organizations to create a thorough approach to raising awareness of this evil. Exploited victims endure intense damage to their mental, physical, emotional and spiritual health.  Our families and communities are at risk. The Human Trafficking Awareness Campaign is intended to educate our communities and teach anyone who may come in contact with victims to identify possible signs of human trafficking and report the abuse. Human trafficking is hard to detect since victims are usually confined and kept isolated from the outside world.

"As Catholics, called to reflect the light of Jesus in places of great darkness, we must speak out and work diligently on behalf of our brothers and sisters in captivity," states the Diocese of Orlando website.

The Diocese of Orlando has designated Jan. 30 as Human Trafficking Awareness Sunday. Visitors to their website will find links to documents aimed at bringing about awareness of human trafficking, including a "Parish Action Kit," which integrates Catholic Social Teaching related to human trafficking within the local parish. This kit includes teaching aids, liturgical guidelines, homiletic resources, parish staff training, social justice service projects, a planning calendar, bulletin announcements and articles in both English and Spanish.

- - -

Deacon Keith Fournier asks that you join with us and help in this vital mission by sending this article to your family, friends, and neighbors and adding our link (www.catholic.org) to your own website, blog or social network. Let us broadcast, we are PROUD TO BE CATHOLIC!