The International Day of Prayer and Awareness against Human Trafficking is observed every year on February 8 across the Globe which is the feast day of St. Josephine Bakhita. Born around 1869 in Sudan, Josephine Bakhita was kidnapped and sold into slavery at the age of seven and trafficked to Italy. In 2000, Pope John Paul II canonized St. Bakhita, concluding that she “came to understand the profound truth that God, and not man, is the true Master of every human being, of every human life.” The event is designated by the Vatican’s Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development as a time of remembrance for victims and survivors of labour and sex trafficking.

Caritas India under the Caritas Institute of Development Action and Learning along with World Vision India organised the Interfaith prayer meeting to express solidarity and pray for the victims of human trafficking. Religious leaders from different faiths with prominent influence in respective communities were invited to share their insights on the issue in this programme, organised in virtual mode.

Ms. Leeza moderated the session. Fr. (Dr.) Paul Moonjely, Executive Director, Caritas India set the context by sharing varied experiences of Caritas India in supporting individuals who have been victims of trafficking. He emphasized the importance of a concerted and unified effort in tackling human trafficking. Most Rev. Sebastian Kallupura, Chairman, Caritas India delivered the keynote speech of the interfaith prayer meeting while Archbishop shared the glaring estimate of 42 million people between the age group of 13-25 working as prostitutes in different countries worldwide.  He also highlighted figures from the Union and Child Welfare India which states the total number of sex workers in India to be around 3 million. He encouraged all the panellists to commit to saving young girls and boys from the clutches of captivity.

Dr. Christopher Bhaskaran, Associate Director, Faith & Development, World Vision India spoke on the roles and responsibilities of religious leaders in preventing human trafficking. Quoting from the Gospel of Jesus, Christopher explained the need for NGO workers to imbibe and function as the agents of change in society. Fr. Tom mentioned the impact of human trafficking on survivors and the community. He also shared the modus operandi of traffickers operating currently, particularly the utilization of social media platforms to lure vulnerable individuals into trafficking.

Maulana Sufyan Nizami, the spokesperson of Darul Uloom Farangi Mahal, asserted the crucial message of “saving lives” professed by every religion.  He contended that religious leaders can play an instrumental role in generating awareness about human trafficking in religious congregations and ceremonies. He also asserted the need for resolve by local leaders to deal with this issue.

Acharya Mahamandeleshar Shri Purshottam Bharti also recommended using religious gatherings like Kumbha and Satsang as platforms to propagate awareness about the issue to prevent the trafficking of young girls and boys.

Dr. Herbert Able Presbyterian in charge and District superintendent of Central Methodist church pointed out the alarming surge in the trafficking incidents, rueing precious human lives. Terming trafficking as “cancer of the society” Dr Herbert prescribed the “power of care” as a remedy to eliminate it. He reiterated the importance of rendering respect to all Human lives engrained in the workmanship of God.

Pastor Vijay Paul shared who joined in from the state of Rajasthan shared a special message on “saving spirits along with saving lives Referring to the Holy Bible Dr. Hansel Fredrick, Co-workers Ministries, Mumbai iterated the essential need of deriving support from God to show us the right path.

Terming trafficking as the “deepest wounds inflicted by the current system” Mr. Clement Sonagate- Associate Director North Zone, World Vision India asserted that the wound inherited through trafficking cuts across all dimensions of personal and communication life. He said that the pandemic is compounding the trafficking business inflicting serious consequences on the vulnerable, particularly women and children. Putting forward the vision ahead he spoke for the need for convergence to curb trafficking. He also bought forth the need for bringing faith leaders together at the village, block, district or state level to amplify the voices and fight the perpetrators.

The speakers uniformly blamed the dominant economic model for the rise in wealth and power gap between the rich and the poor in the country. The meeting was also attended by the survivors of Human trafficking from Nigeria and Nepal. Both these individuals were trafficked and rescued in India. These victims shared the perilous experiences of being trafficked and how Caritas India and Catalyst rescued them.

Laying the path for the future Mr. Animesh Williams from Caritas India urged the religious leaders to show their support to implement changes at the policy Level regarding the different challenges facing the stakeholders in addressing these issues. Dr. Haridas gave a vote of thanks to all esteemed religious leaders and guest speakers attending the event.

The programme conducted through the live streaming service was visible on both national and international platforms, organised by the Unions of Superiors and Superiors General of Religious institute. Rev Dr. Fr, Paul Moonjely remembered St. Josephine Bakhita to draw strength from her in all our endeavours regarding the fight to combat human trafficking.

The Caritas India Northeast along with Swaraksha Anti Human Trafficking commemorated the programme as the feast day of St. Bakhita, on 8^th February 2022. All the five partners engaged in combating human trafficking projects in Northeast Region include Seva Kendra Silchar, Nedan Foundation, Purvanchal Pragati Samaj FDEWS, and Seva Kendra Dibrugarh. These partners organise programmes at the village and organisational levels.

Around 675 individuals participated in the event. In this regard FDEWS, CDI organised a rally in their region while Seva Kendra Silchar organised a blood donation camp in collaboration with Silchar Medical College.

In Uttar Pradesh, the Purvanchal Gramin Sewa Samiti Gorakhpur team also organised a programme with children and women remembering. The programmes invoked lessons from St. Josephine Bakhita’s life including her devotion to serve humankind. The participants in the end took an oath to serve the vulnerable people who are at the risk of being trafficked or who need support to live a dignified life.