The 23rd meeting of the Coalition to Combat Human Trafficking was held in Vienna a few days ago. The Holy See’s permanent observer to the OSCE, Mgr Urbanchik, said in his statement that the Holy See continues to express concern about the phenomenon of human trafficking.
(Vatican News Network)At the 23rd meeting of the Coalition to Combat Trafficking in Human Beings held in Vienna on April 18-19, Mgr Urbanchik, Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the OSCE, noted that the Holy See continues to express concern about the phenomenon of human trafficking, emphasizing The importance of concerted and multidimensional action to prevent and combat this crime.
Mgr Urbanchik is convinced that human trafficking must be tackled with a multidisciplinary approach. Laws are needed to address root causes, help prevent and protect victims, and bring perpetrators to justice. Mgr Urbanchik said that due to the development of human trafficking and exploitation on online platforms, appropriate legislation and deterrent actions are also needed. He pointed out that economic impoverishment, exploitation and the misuse of social technologies are intertwined and have a significant impact on young people and older people, so “it cannot be limited to collective consciousness, and prevention must also be translated into concrete action”.
Regarding immigrants, the Holy See representative said they were “easy” targets for exploitation. “Unscrupulous human traffickers, often linked to drug or arms syndicates, exploit the vulnerability of migrants. These migrants are often subjected to violence, trafficking, psychological and physical abuse, and unspeakable suffering during their journey”. Mgr Urbanchik points out that in many of our societies this phenomenon is almost a condition of economic development, across many productive sectors, from agriculture to food production, from electronics to construction, from tourism to domestic work. To this end, “the complexities of human trafficking require a multidimensional and participatory approach that should be coordinated at the national, regional and international levels”. Mgr Urbanchik mourns that this is not enough, so a more comprehensive approach is becoming more and more urgent.
Mgr Urbanchik finally mentioned the contribution of two Catholic organizations in the fight against human trafficking: the “Santa Marta Group” and the “Tarita Ancient Wood”, an international network against human trafficking.
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