“Mobilising Humanity to Rebuild Hope”
We Christians, in particular, have to organize hope – this expression of Don Tonino Bello, to organize hope, is very fine – to make it concrete in our everyday lives, in our relationships, in our social and political commitments.
Pope Francis’ Homily on the 5th World Day of the Poor, 14 November 2021
Caritas Ukraine presented its experience in combating human trafficking at an international conference organised by Caritas Internationalis in Palermo Caritas Ukraine advocacy specialists took part in the international conference in Italy, dedicated to the Jubilee of Migrants and the Missionary World and the 25th anniversary of the Palermo Protocols – global documents that became the basis for
combating human trafficking and smuggling of migrants.
The main objectives of the Conference were:
1. Assessing emerging trends and challenges in human trafficking;
2. Advancing strategies to prevent and address migrant smuggling;
3. Strengthening collaborative advocacy for policy changes:
4. Enhancing multi-stakeholder cooperation for early identification and protection of
survivors.
The event brought together representatives of Caritas Internationalis, international organisations, religious orders, experts and human rights defenders from around the world. Important issues raised by experts during the conference included:
• how to respond to new trends in human trafficking, including cyber trafficking,
exploitation during war and climate crises;
• how to prevent the smuggling of migrants while protecting their rights;
• how to strengthen advocacy for the integration and protection of people on move,
shifting policy from exclusion to inclusion;
• how to develop multilateral partnerships for early identification and protection of
victims.
During her speech at the conference the head of the Safe Migration and Anti-Trafficking Programme Iryna Maievska told the international community about the trends of this horrific crime against human dignity during the war in Ukraine and presented the docu drama film “Fragile Life” based on the real stories of Ukrainians who had suffered exploitation and trafficking in the context of war.
“During war, people are often forced to seek salvation at any cost. They become particularly vulnerable to recruitment, deception and involvement in human trafficking. Our task is not only to provide assistance to victims, but also to build trust, train specialists, prevent risks, and develop sustainable solutions in advocacy at the national and international levels” emphasised Iryna Maievska.
Natalia Holynska, an expert in counter trafficking at Caritas Ukraine, noted: “Working at Caritas Internationalis and COATNET working groups, I shared the achievements of counter trafficking projects in Ukraine and best practices in identifying victims and providing them with comprehensive assistance.
During the event, we distributed the book ‘Fragile Life’ among our international colleagues, that
contains the stories of our beneficiaries, survivors of human trafficking and victims of conflict related sexual violence”. The Conference was finished with the ecumenical interreligious prayer at Fort
Italico for all migrants who died in the Mediterranean and on the other migration routes.
The joint efforts of Caritas Internationalis and its partners prove that only
through international cooperation human dignity and human rights can be effectively
protected. Solidarity is the way in which we can rebuild hope together!
Prepared by Natalia Holynska,
Caritas Ukraine counter trafficking expert
nholynska@caritas.ua