“The family is the primary and fundamental nucleus of society” (Pope St. John Paul II)

As such, it carries the challenges hopes and the possibilities of every era.

On the occasion of the Synod on the Family  held in Rome in October 2015, Talitha Kum and other organisations of the Catholic Church committed to working against the trafficking of people, highlighted some points to underline how the phenomenon of trafficking intersects with the reality of the contemporary family life. Every person disfigured by trafficking and every form of exploitation is a deep wound on the family. Family therefore, must be considered in every aspect of combatting this evil, from the protection of victims to the prosecution of those who support or promote this crime.

This grave violation of human rights injures directly, tens of millions of families, especially, but not exclusively, those of the poor.

• All persons trafficked originate in families in areas of social vulnerability or areas of conflict.
• The majority of persons trafficked are women, but the number of children is growing significantly.
• The persons trafficked, escpecially women for sexual exploitation, come from families deprived by poverty from access to education and the health care systems. Physical violence, psychological and sexual suffering in the nuclear family of origin, have been, for many, the reasons they were vulnerable to being trafficked.

We ask for specific pastoral commitment for –

• The families who are deeply wounded as a result of human trafficking, involving loss of liberty, injustice and social vulnerability and those who suffer as a result of the disappearance of one of their members ( through kidnap, deception, abuse of authority involved in illegal adoptions, forced marriages, sexual exploitation…)
• The families who suffer economically as a result of the sexual exploitation of women and children, and from every other form of exploitation
• Promotion of a culture of support for educational and catechetical initiatives against violence,  a culture of respect for male - female relationships as well as adult- child relationships and a real appreciation of the value of diversity.