Awareness and Formation Seminar
For Women Religious of African Countries On Counter-Trafficking
25-25
January 2007
This warm greeting awaited the 25 participants when they
arrived at the Novitiate of the Little Sisters of St. Joseph in Karen,
Participants came from
The three days were full and very informative. On the first day, after Ivonne introduced the team and the goals of the workshop, we had input on the UN protocols and definitions of what trafficking is: “modern-day slavery”. We worked in groups to look at the push and pull factors of trafficking, which has become a pandemic in recent years due to globalization. On the second day, after an intervention from Sr. Florence Nwaonuma of COSUDOW (Committee in Support of the Dignity of Women, Nigeria) on the sheltering of victims (survivors) and the group’s preventive measures and various programmes. It became evident that many people knew very little about trafficking and therefore awareness raising programmes were essential. The sisters from COSUDOW stressed the importance of identifying target groups, and equally important is to build good relationships with police, and immigration and government officials.
In the plenary
sessions the sharing of stories, personal experience and situations awoke many
emotions – anger, sorrow, pain, empathy, compassion and a determination to make
more people aware of this global evil. On the third day, Sr. Eugenia spoke about
the work of USMI, where religious from various congregations walk the street at
night and talk to the women they meet there who are forced to prostitute
themselves. They also visit detention centres, work with the Italian Government
in repatriating, rehabilitating or reintegrating the trafficked women. She gave
us various articles and the UISG Workshop Kit on Trafficking. She stressed the
importance of networking, and establishing a contact person in the country. Her
passionate plea was that
Each country group was asked to draw up a three-year
plan of action and share this with the other groups. The countries were at
various stages in the fight against trafficking, with
ANAHT –
African Network Against Human Trafficking.
Encouraged by this networking with all groups dedicated
to counteracting trafficking, we move forward to restore the dignity of women in
Sr. Maureen
Yenson OP (a partecipant from