Anti-Human Trafficking Resources

Interested in learning more about what you can do to help stop human trafficking and modern slavery? USCCB’s Coalition of Catholic  Organizations Against Human Trafficking (CCOAHT) and countless other organizations are excellent resources for information and ways to get involved in the fight for human dignity. Here is a list of just a few:

Informational Resources:

•  The U.S. Catholic Sisters Against Human Trafficking offer educational information, various resources, and more.
• Read about Catholic Relief Services’s (CRS) work around human trafficking, including working towards eliminating slave labor on coffee states in Brazil, providing shelter and services for sex trafficking victims in Egypt, and offering safety and employment to sex trafficking victims and vulnerable women in India

Reflection:

• Read about “Sex Trafficking of Minors: Know the Process, Look for the Signs” in a blog post by CCOAHT’s Christopher Ljungquist.
• Read Pope Francis’s words on human trafficking, urging us all to act on our “moral imperative” to fight what he calls a “plague on humanity.”

Internship Opportunity:

• Internship/Volunteer Opportunity with USCCB office of Migration and Refugee Services  (MRS). MRS is seeking an undergraduate or graduate student to collaborate directly with anti-trafficking organizations, both faith-based and NGO. For more information contact Christopher Ljunquist.

Events:

• Washington, D.C.: Dr. Elzbieta M. Gozdziak, Research Professor at the Institute for the Study of International Migration at Georgetown University and frequent collaborator with USCCB’s Anti-Trafficking Program, will be giving a talk on her latest book, “Trafficked Children and Youth in the United States: Reimagining Survivors,” to be released May 2016. Professor Gozdziak will be giving her talk at the Brookland location of Busboys and Poets on June 7, 2016, 7:00-9:00 PM.

Advocacy:

• Catholics Confront Global Poverty highlights advocacy opportunities, including specific legislation to urge your representatives to support.

Human trafficking, sex trafficking, and modern slavery are internationally pervasive crimes that demand our attention and action. Whether you are just getting started or have been a long supporter of anti-trafficking work, we hope you find these resources helpful.

How does your college or university combat human trafficking? Let us know! 

“Global solidarity has become real for them”

Catholics Confront Global Poverty, an initiative of USCCB and CRS, recently interviewed Dr. Jerry Zurek. Dr. Zurek is the chair of the Communication Department at Cabrini College, an ACCU member. He has participated in various initiatives for social justice and action at Cabrini, including the institution of a unique curriculum requirement based on CST values, a university partnership with CRS, and facilitating advocacy work among his students.

In his work, Dr. Zurek has partnered with many different organizations, such as CRS University, Catholics Confront Global Poverty, Jesuit Refugee Service, Justice for Immigrants, and NETWORK, in order to connect his students with advocacy resources.

Additionally, his students developed the immigration simulation that has been featured on ACCU’s Peace and Justice blog before, and which won a Global Solidarity Grant from ACCU and CRS. Because of students’ engagement with social justice through his classes and through advocacy work, Dr. Zurek says, “Global solidarity has become real for them.”

Read the entire interview here.

Advocacy Resources

• What do other students have to say about CSMG and advocacy?
  • Read other blogs here and here.
• How can I know that advocacy really works?
  • See some results compiled by Catholics Confront Global Poverty.
• What policy goals does the Church promote or prioritize?
  • Check out the comprehensive list from the U.S. Bishops.
• How do I go about visiting a member of Congress?
  • The USCCB has outlined helpful steps. See also some advice and quick tips.
• What are the issues that CSMG participants took to the Hill?
  • The official page detailing those issues is here.
• How can students, faculty, and staff from my campus be involved with CSMG and the Young Leaders Initiative (YLI) next year?
  • Visit the YLI webpage to learn about the timeline of registration and mark the dates for next year on your calendar: January 23-26, 2016.  We will post more information on this blog as it becomes available.

Action Steps Against Hunger

What are simple ways for college students to learn about world hunger and engage their campus community? See Catholics Confront Global Poverty’s four steps against hunger:

1. Use this prayer before mealtime.
2. Watch this video by Pope Francis on hunger.
3. Take to Social Media to bring more attention to this issue! Feel free to retweet and repost these messages from CRS:
   • Twitter: A meal makes a big difference. It encourages school enrollment, improves attentiveness & nourishes a child. #WFD2014
   • Twitter: The @USDA funded CRS #FoodForEducation programs are meeting simple needs, but are making a huge difference: http://bit.ly/1sg9I0E. #WFD2014
   • Facebook: A meal makes a big difference. It encourages school enrollment, improves attentiveness and nourishes a child. The U.S. Department of Agriculture funded CRS Food for Education programs are meeting this simple need in 6 countries and are making a big impact: http://bit.ly/1pjOXuB.
4. Raise Your Voice! Following Pope Francis’ call, we invite you to get ready to raise your voice on behalf of our brothers and sisters who struggle with hunger once Congress returns to DC following the mid-term elections. It’s likely that two pieces of legislation related to addressing hunger, Agriculture Appropriations and Feed the Future, will be taken up by Congress the week of November 10. Learn about these pieces legislation, and consider advocating for them.