Catholic social teaching declares the dignity of every human being as a child of God and promotes the sanctity of all human life. Every life is a gift, and we have a responsibility to protect and nurture that gift in all of God's children. To degrade or threaten the dignity of our brothers and sisters in Christ violates what we believe.
As faithful Catholics, we are obliged to inform ourselves on social and civic issues. Today, governments and the Church are recognizing new forms of the ancient evil of human trafficking as an assault on personal dignity and a grave sin. Here at The Catholic Company, we are committed to doing our part to eradicate this evil.
What is it, what does the Church teach about it, and how can we unite to combat it?
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What is Human Trafficking?
The United Nations defines human trafficking as "a modern-day form of slavery that consists of the illegal trade of human beings through force, fraud, or coercion, for the purposes of commercial sexual exploitation or forced labor."
It takes many forms, in countries all over the world, at every economic level. Some human trafficking involves forced prostitution, pornography, or other sexual exploitation.
Some involves forced labor in agriculture, product manufacturing, or other sweatshops. It can also involve domestic servitude, or forcing children and adults to become combatants in militant situations or rebellions.
Victims are trapped in involuntary labor or debt bondage, through kidnapping or fraudulent claims. Children born to these victims are often taken away from their parents and cycled back through the human trafficking system.
In this modern-day form of slavery, these different forms of trafficking all have in common victims who are objectified, abused, and denied their personal freedoms and human dignity.
Whether born into the trafficking movement, kidnapped, or coerced there, they have been exploited. They have no control and cannot escape.
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What the Catechism Teaches
Human trafficking is an open wound on the body of contemporary society, a scourge on the body of Christ. It is a crime against humanity... - Pope Francis
Rooted in the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) is the strong commitment to end slavery in all forms. The CCC expressly forbids any and all acts leading to the enslavement of human beings, because such acts are sins against personal dignity and fundamental human rights (2414).
Vatican II confirmed the strength of this commitment when the Council stated that "slavery, prostitution, the selling of women and children, [and] disgraceful working conditions where [people] are treated as mere tools for profit" are "infamies" and a "supreme dishonor to the Creator."
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Papal Teaching and Action
Pope Francis, Pope Benedict XVI, and Pope John Paul II, our three most recent popes, have spoken out against the depravity of human trafficking. They have called for eradicating this tragic abuse and protecting its victims.
Pope John Paul II expressed the collective disgust of the Church this way:
Such situations are an affront to fundamental values which are shared by all cultures and peoples, values rooted in the very nature of the human person. The alarming increase in the trade in human beings…presents a serious threat to the security of individual nations and a question of international justice which cannot be deferred. - Pope St. John Paul II
The Vatican, under the Migrants and Refugees Section, released a handbook to help Catholic communities identify and end human trafficking. Pastoral Orientations on Human Trafficking offers in-depth information on the issue of trafficking in many languages and formats.
Pope Francis has launched an interfaith Global Freedom Network to fight human trafficking with Anglican Archbishop Justin Welby. Together, they have formed the Santa Marta Group, an international coalition of senior members of the law enforcement community and of the Church, who can work within civil society to end human trafficking.
The Pope also began the #EndSlavery movement to continue efforts to eliminate human trafficking.
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St. Josephine Bakhita
St. Josephine Bakhita is a central figure we can look to in this battle. This remarkable Sudanese woman was abducted and sold into slavery as a child, eventually became Catholic, won her freedom, and became a Canossian Sister. She now intercedes as the patron saint of human trafficking victims.
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How Can We Help?
In 2021, there were an estimated 49.6 million victims of human trafficking worldwide. This figure is speculative, because most human trafficking flourishes undetected all over the world.
Women and children are particularly vulnerable, as are migrants, refugees, and those fleeing abuse, persecution, conflict, gang violence, natural disasters, and other circumstances that leave them unprotected.
We are called to defend human life and its inherent dignity. Together, we must fight the evil of human trafficking. Here at The Catholic Company, we are working and praying for an end to this sickening reality.
We support a special pathway to healing for victims through a partnership with one of our suppliers, Franciscan Peacemakers.
Through daily outreach, residential facilities, meaningful employment, and advocacy work, Franciscan Peacemakers seeks to provide healing for victims whose lives have been devastated but who have managed to break free. Their Peace + all good products are among our favorite offerings, because of their meaning, mission, and quality.
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Franciscan Peacemakers changes lives, brings healing, and offers victims care and support by providing what they need to overcome the trauma of their experiences. While receiving the resources needed for healing, survivors make and sell Peace + all good natural bath and home products to earn a living wage and save for their independence.
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When you purchase these wonderful products, you are partnering in support of the victims of human trafficking and prostitution.
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To see other Peace + all good products, click here.
We have developed our own line of products, called God's Children Are Not For Sale. Many of the items are pictured here. This product line informs, promotes understanding, and most importantly, unites us all in prayer against the devastating injustice of human trafficking.
We invite you to stand in faith and support, to kneel in prayer, and to lovingly offer sacrifices for an end to this tragic sin, as we denounce and combat it together.
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Uniting in Prayer
We pledge to use our resources and our influence in the marketplace to do our part. As Catholics, we know that our prayer is a powerful weapon, and when we stand together, we can move the heart of God and bring about miraculous change.
Will you join with us in prayer to combat this crime against the dignity of the human person?
We cannot stop there. We must all work together as the Church, state, and community to bring about change and eliminate the underlying issues permitting trafficking to thrive and remain hidden.
Together, let's plead with God—in defense of His beloved children of all ages—as our Faith calls us to awareness, and our love calls us to prayer and sacrifice for the most vulnerable among us.
Merciful Lord, hear us.
