SALT LAKE CITY — Pope Francis’ prayer intention for the month of February is “For a generous welcome of the victims of human trafficking, enforced prostitution, and violence.”
As part of local efforts to inform the community about human trafficking, the Respect for Life commission at Saint Thomas More Catholic Church is offering a Human Trafficking 101 night.
The event will touch on three themes: awareness, red flags and reporting human trafficking. The presenter will be West Jordan Police Officer Sgt. Burdette Shumway.
The event came about because St. Thomas More parishioners said human trafficking was a concern, said Barbara Granja, chairperson of the parish’s Respect for Life Committee.
Last June “we decided to take a consensus with the parishioners of St. Thomas More and figure out what issues they would like to tackle. … Abortion came at the very top of the list; in the second place came human trafficking and then third was poverty,” she said.
The month of February seems to be a perfect time to have a presentation on the theme because, besides the call of Pope Francis, it is also the month of the Feast of Saint Josephine Bakhita, Granja pointed out.
“St. Josephine Bakhita, a Sudanese nun, as a child had the traumatic experience of being a victim of human trafficking,” according to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. “She is also known as ‘Mother Moretta’ (our Black Mother) and bore 144 physical scars throughout her life, which were received after she was kidnapped at the age of 9 and sold into slavery.”
Educating people about human trafficking is important because “we want to be informed and be aware of how people are predators, even locally,” Granja said.
She added that she understands that on the east side of the Salt Lake Valley, where the parish is located, “people are considered as very trusting,” and there are those who prey upon that trust.
At the presentation, a document from the USCCB that dispels different myths of human trafficking will be handed out, Granja said.
“People need to get as much information as possible so they are aware. … We all need to respect all lives. … We need to get back to that respect of the human being so they can get their sense of dignity back,” Granja said.
The event will be free and open to the public.
“Sgt. Shumway has a broad experience with human trafficking locally and internationally, so his talk should be very good and very informative,” Granja said.
“Human trafficking is a terrible violation of human dignity. Let us open our eyes to this shameful scourge and commit ourselves to fighting it,” said Pope Francis on Twitter.
WHAT: Human Trafficking 101
WHEN: Feb. 28, 7-8:30 p.m.
WHERE: Saint Thomas More Parish's Meyer Hall (east entrance), 3015 E. Creek Road, Sandy
Free and open to the public.
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