Vatican Statement Against Modern Slavery, Prostitution, Trafficking

Vatican Official Blasts Human Trafficking

By FRANCES D’EMILIO
The Associated Press
Tuesday,
November 14, 2006; 9:46 AM

VATICAN CITY — Human trafficking, including women forced to become
prostitutes or minors forced to do child labor, is worse now than the trade in
African slaves of past centuries, a top Vatican official said Tuesday.

“It’s worse than the slavery of those whose slaves who were taken from Africa
and brought to other countries,” said Cardinal Renato Martino, former longtime
Vatican envoy to the United Nations and current head of the Holy See’s office
concerned with migrant and itinerant peoples.

At a news conference to present Pope Benedict XVI’s annual message dealing
with the problems of migrants, the cardinal singled out modern-day forms of
slavery _ minors who are sold to do child labor or who are forced to be
soldiers, as well as women forced to prostitute themselves _ and challenged
countries to combat these problems.

“In a world which proclaims human rights left and right, let’s see what it
does about the rights of so many human beings which are not respected, but
trampled,” the cardinal said.

The Vatican launched an appeal for Iraqi Christian refugees during the news
conference.

“I cannot forget, because of the current situation, the need for urgent
measures on behalf of Iraqi Christians and other religious minorities in Iraq,”
said Martino’s assistant on refugee and migrant issues, Monsignor Agostino
Marchetto.

In the papal message, Benedict noted that more women were leaving their
homelands in search of a better life. “However, women who end up as victims of
trafficking of human beings and of prostitution are not few,” the pope said.

In the last decade or so, many women in Eastern Europe have traveled to the
West after being promised what appeared to be honest jobs, but upon arrival in
the countries were forced to work as prostitute to pay off the cost of their
trip.

Benedict also expressed concern over families in refugee camps.

In the camps, “there is also the risk of women and children being involved in
sexual exploitation, as a survival mechanism,” the pope wrote.

Senior U.N. officials said earlier this year that allegations of sexual abuse
against U.N. peacekeepers remain unacceptably high and a ban on using
prostitutes is meeting opposition from some troops and staff. An investigation
had found that peacekeepers in Congo had sex with Congolese women and girls,
usually in exchange for food or small sums of money. Cases of sexual abuse have
also been reported in other peacekeeping missions from Bosnia and Kosovo to
Cambodia, East Timor and West Africa.