WUNRN
International Union of Superiors General
DECLARATION
of the Religious
Women participating in
CONGRESS 2008
“Women Religious in Network Against Trafficking in Persons”
Organized in
by the
International
and the International
Organization for Migrants (IOM)
We, 47 participant
members of 29 Religious Congregations representing the National, Regional and
International networks in more than 30 countries, have come together to share
experiences, discuss, reflect and pray about our delicate mission of counter
trafficking in persons.
We
denounce the crime of Trafficking in persons
and
proclaim
it as a grave offense against the dignity of the person and
a
serious violation of human rights
As religious women in solidarity with our sisters and brothers who
suffer the consequences of this evil we
will not remain silent.
We strongly condemn this crime, addressing ourselves first of all to the Governments
of the countries of origin, transit and destination in which our sisters and
brothers are sold and rendered objects of this modern form of slavery.
We call on governments to be responsible not only to make laws against trafficking and to
protect the victims, but also to implement these laws at all levels and to
allocate adequate resources to combat this crime. It is their responsibility to
activate national and international networks capable of effectively
counteracting this trafficking in persons.
We urge
Catholic Episcopal Conferences, National Conferences of Religious and Catholic and non Catholic communities, to
take a stance and commit themselves with renewed energy for the defense of the
rights of these sisters and brothers and to denounce all forms of trafficking.
WE COMMIT OURSELVES
To network with other
social, civilian, religious and political organization
- To strengthen existing efforts and initiatives.
- To maximize resources for the prevention, protection,
assistance, awareness-raising and condemnation of trafficking in
persons.
- To continue to develop educative programs that awaken
the consciousness of people to this phenomenon.
We know that only by working in collaboration and solidarity will
we be able to confront the structural causes that generate trafficking.
This mission obliges us to take a prophetic stance that requires of
us continuous conversion and change of mentality.
We renew our commitment to promote the dignity of every person as a
response to Christ’s words:
“I have come that they may have life, life in its fullness”
(John 10:10).
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