Women's History Month, Women Figures in The Church, UNODC Reports, and a Religious Sisters.   Hidden in Plain Sight: A USCCB/MRS Anti-trafficking Newsletter March 2023 Issue 2 Women's History Month  Women's History Month has its origins in 1980, when President Jimmy Carter issued a Presidential Proclamation declaring the week of March 8 as “Women’s History Week.” President Ronald Reagan continued this tradition for several years until Congress passed Public Law 100-9 in 1987, which designated March as Women's History Month. Since 1995, Presidents have formally recognized proclaimed March to be “Women's History Month” with a proclamation that often recognized the ways in which women have contributed to US history through a myriad of achievements. Not only does the United States celebrate our strong and wonderful women, but international women's day is also celebrated on the same day, March 8th, and its origins began in 1911. The United Nations has sponsored this day since 1975 and has continuously been engaged since. Women Are Disproportionately Affected by Human Trafficking Data collected on human trafficking situations have traditionally shown that women are disproportionately represented as victims of sexual exploitation. The United Nations Office of Drug and Crime’s (UNDOC) Trafficking in Persons Report 2020, for example, reported that for every ten victims detected globally, five victims were adult women an additional two were young girls. In contrast, the UNDOC’s Trafficking in Persons Report 2022 shows that the number of reported cases had fallen by 11% for the first time in 20 years. It is unlikely that this decrease is due to an actual decline in the number of victims and more likely due to the onset of COVID-19 which has complicated tracking of trafficking situations, most likely because of the extent to which potential victims were increasingly isolated and at risk following the onset of the pandemic. Another key finding in the 2022 report, which stands in contrast to the 2020 report, found that for the first time since the UNODC collected data, trafficking in persons for forced labor and sexual exploitation was the same at under 40%; the 2020 report showed that 50% of trafficking in person cases were for sexual exploitation and 38% for forced labor. UNODC reports consistently affirm that women and children suffer greater violence during their victimization, more than two times than their adult male counterparts; likewise, threats of violence and psychological maltreatment are experienced by 26%, explicit physical violence at 44%, and extreme violence at 9% for women. Meanwhile, men experience 25% of psychological maltreatment and threats of violence, 39% of explicit physical violence, and 5% of extreme violence. Moreover, women are more likely than men to be criminalized and convicted of trafficking in persons. For example, In Europe and Central Asia, women account for 81% of persons convicted for trafficking in persons, while men account for only 19% of convictions. Of those investigated for trafficking in persons, 49% of men and 56% of women are prosecuted; the number of people convicted for trafficking is 13% for men and 17% for women. Lastly, structured criminal organizations are reported to be predominately run by men and rarely by women; meanwhile, women are 30% of convicted traffickers for these types of organizations. It is crucial to consider that detected victims of trafficking since 2022 are 42% women, yet they are being prosecuted and criminalized for trafficking in persons. Meanwhile, they are the higher percentage of identified victims, along with young girls and boys. The reasons why women are investigated at higher rates are likely due to several reasons: 1) reduced access to services for women, before, during and after their victimization and 2) women and men are investigated at different rates; it is reported that countries of origin convict more females than countries of destination, indicating the role women and girls play during their recruitment phase, or the activities that are a high risk during their exploitation (I.e., collecting money, committing crimes, prostitution, etc.). Perpetrators of violence constantly victimize women, including women from different cultural backgrounds, Non-white, minority women, including Hispanic/Latina women, Indigenous/Native American women, Asian Pacific Islanders, and Native Hawaiian Women, are particularly vulnerable to human trafficking situations or even drug-related offenses and previous or current drug use (World Drug Report 2018). Previously reports have shown that 40% of trafficking victims in the US are Black, 63% of labor trafficking victims are Hispanic, and 17% are Asian and undocumented. Reports showed that Native American women make up about 40% of identified victims of sex trafficking in South Dakota, while they only represent 8% of the population. Human trafficking can affect everyone, but perpetrators exploit the most vulnerable individuals impacted by discrimination, inequality, economic issues, safety, security, and more. Frequently, ethnic minorities have unique risk factors that make them more susceptible to victimization. Women Saints in The Catholic Church St. Josephine Bakhita, the patron saint for victims of trafficking, patron saint of Sudan, and African Catholics in the United States, has a solid devotion to the three themes of St. Josephine’s life: Suffering, forgiveness, and freedom. Born in Sudan and a slave for most of her childhood, St. Josephine forgave her abusers because they brought her closer to God. In St. Josephine’s life, victims of trafficking seek refuge in her prayers and intercession. Mother Francis Xavier Cabrini is the patron saint of Immigrants in the United States. As an Italian American and the first U.S. Citizen to be Canonized, in 1889, Mother Cabrini moved to New York to address the chaos and poverty. She organized catechism classes, education classes, and orphanages and tended to the poor, specifically Italian immigrants. She established 67 institutions, schools, hospitals, and orphanages across 24 countries. Mother Theresa of Calcutta, one of the most famous modern-day saints, founded the Missionaries of Charity, which helped the poorest of the poor, mainly by undertaking relief work, natural disasters, and other crises. Mother Theresa was viewed as a small woman with great power, and one of her more famous quotes was, “We can’t all do great things, but we can do small things with great love.” Mother Theresa was a woman of great faith, and compassion, seeing the face of Jesus in all the people she served. Religious Sisters Have Been Leading the Fight Against Human Trafficking Religious sisters have played a vital role against violence and human rights perpetrators. They have played a seminal role in their fight against exploitative practices related to human trafficking through advocacy, education, prayer, and interreligious dialogue. According to the Vatican Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, about 630,000 religious women live in service to the poor, the marginalized, and others in need of care and support. As Pope Francis once observed, "What would the Church be without religious sisters and consecrated laywomen? The Church cannot be understood without them." At the opening of the new millennium, the International Union of Superiors General issued an urgent call to religious congregations to respond to the needs of persons suffering from the global crime of human trafficking. In response, Church leaders organized a three-day workshop in Baltimore for members of faith communities on the East Coast. The leadership team of the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary invited its members to participate. Six of our sisters responded to this invitation and participated. Following the workshop, several of us met in our living room with those interested in organizing the "next steps" for our work. Gradually the group had grown enough to seek larger space in a local church meeting area. Since then, Sisters Carroll Ann Kemp and Carol Ries have continued organizing monthly meetings under the name of the Mid-Atlantic Coalition Against Modern Slavery (MACAMS), working for the rights of women, men, and children who are victims of human trafficking. Pope Francis calls this work "the responsibility of their faith." This past week, Felicitas Brugo Onetti, the Anti-Trafficking Education and Outreach Coordinator, sat down with these two sisters residing in Silver Spring, MD, to casually discuss the Mid-Atlantic Coalition Against Modern Slavery. They began many years ago, and at their first meeting, Carroll Ann said, "If each of us brings one more person to learn about this topic, we will grow." There are now nearly 40 women and men, religious and lay, Christian and Jewish in their coalition. They are a community that shares the same mission to pray, educate, and advocate for victims of this crime of human trafficking. Listen to the Interview! Interview with Radio Maria NYC Radio Maria’s show, called “Rompiendo Las Aguas,” is a Spanish language radio show hosted Felicitas Brugo Onetti, USCCB/MRS’s Anti-Trafficking Education, and Outreach Coordinator. Here she discussed the sin of human trafficking, current trends, along with the story of St. Josephine Bakhita and what her role is as the Patron Saint for Victims of Trafficking. The conversation discussed terminology, the struggles of victims and survivors, and the different categories of human trafficking (e.g. labor). Listen to the Interview!   Register for Webinar on The Prevalence of Human Trafficking in Native American and Indigenous Communities April 12th at 1:00 PM EST Speakers: Fr. Michael Carson, Associate Director to Cultural Diversity, USCCB. Fr. David Bailey, Diocese of Tyler, Texas. Felicitas Brugo Onetti, Anti-Trafficking Education and Outreach Coordinator, USCCB Register Here! A Broad Overview of Human Trafficking April 19th at 1:00 PM EST Felicitas Brugo Onetti, Anti-Trafficking Education and Outreach Coordinator, in collaboration with Catholic Prison Ministries Coalition (CPMC), are holding a webinar to learn about human trafficking, how to support victims, and about resources on labor and sex trafficking and exploitation.​ Register Here! If you see something or suspect someone is a victim of human trafficking, reach out to the  National Human Trafficking Hotline Phone: 1 (888) 373-7888 SMS: 233733 (Text "HELP" or "INFO") If you want to learn more about the USCCB/MRS' Anti-Trafficking Program, reach out to: Felicitas Brugo Onetti Anti-Trafficking Education and Outreach Coordinator Email: [email protected] Phone: (202) 541-3064   Our Company | Contact Us   USCCB | 3211 Fourth Street NE, Washington, DC 20017 Unsubscribe [email protected] Update Profile | Constant Contact Data Notice Sent by [email protected] in collaboration with Try email marketing for free today!