In 2015, Pope Francis named February 8^th the World Day of Prayer for Victims of Human Trafficking. 2022 marks the eighth consecutive year, where Christians from around the world join in a marathon of prayer for the victims of this horrific crime. This year’s theme is “The power of care: Women, economy and human trafficking.”

The day marks the feast of Saint Josephine Bakhita, a Sudanese nun, who as a child had the traumatic experience of being a victim of human trafficking. After she was freed, Josephine became a Canossian Sister and dedicated her life to sharing her story of deliverance from slavery and comforting the poor and suffering. She became the universal symbol of the Church’s anti-slavery commitment and was declared a Saint in 2000.

This prayer day is an invitation to learn what trafficking means and to explore its material, mental, and spiritual impact on millions of people worldwide. According to the International Labour Organization, more than 40 million people have been trafficked in forms of modern slavery.

Join us with the attached prayer*.

Please consider the following list of actions to continue to raise awareness about Human Trafficking:

• Talk to five other people about human trafficking today.
• Distribute copies of this prayer to your families, friends, and co-workers.
• Check your local supermarket to see if they sell Fair Trade products like coffee, tea, or chocolate and ask the manager about it if they don’t.
• Take the Human Trafficking 101 Training offered by Polaris. It consists of several short modules (averaging 5 minutes in length) that give up to date information on trafficking and shares the testimony of trafficking victims. Share this link with others. https://polarisproject.org/human-trafficking-101/
• Talk to your local parish, school, or civic organizations and encourage them to offer a workshop on human trafficking.
• Direct people to the prayer and reflection resources on human trafficking on the Sisters of Charity of Saint Elizabeth website: https://www.scnj.org/peace-justice-ecological-integrity

*Special thanks to Fr. Terrence Moran, Office of Peace, Justice and Ecological Integrity, Sisters of Charity of Saint Elizabeth.