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ANDANTE Newsletter, May 2016

 

ANDANTE, the European Alliance of Catholic Women’s Organisations, has released its May 2016 Newsletter, available attached. Both RENATE and Mary Ward Loreto (Albania) are acknowledged in the Newsletter!
In addition to news from member organisations, the member’s statements of ‘international policy related to refugees’ and the outcomes of the ANDANTE General Assembly, (April 16th-17th, 2016) feature as the highlights of the Newsletter.
The ANDANTE 10 year Jubilee Brochure is embedded into the Newsletter and is a compilation of the various activities, meetings and events undertaken by ANDANTE in the last decade.
ANDANTE Newsletter_14 May 2016
Read and enjoy!
 
Prepared by Anne Kelleher, RENATE Communications Person

Stop Trafficking Newsletter Issue May ’16

 

The May issue of the Stop Enslavement Anti Human Trafficking Newsletter is now available. This issue specifically highlights aspects of labour trafficking and methods used to fight all forms of human trafficking.
Highlights include “Money: Cause and Cure for Human Trafficking”, which places a spotlight on both the poor and the wealthy, interwoven in the chain of human trafficking and exploitation.
There are valuable recommendations on approaches to countering human trafficking, as well as identified benefits arising from addressing forced labour in various company operations, which will ultimately strengthen human capital and the workforce.
You can download the Newsletter from http://www.stopenslavement.org/index.html
 
Prepared by Anne Kelleher, RENATE Communications Person

RENATE Network Awareness Raising Visit to Norway and Denmark

 

Imelda Poole IBVM & Adina Balan CJ in ScandinaviaImelda Poole IBVM, President of RENATE and Adina Balan CJ, RENATE Board member, travelled to Norway and Denmark from the 3rd of May to the 8th of May, 2016, to meet with Religious, Christian led NGOs, lay and Catholic organisations with a view to heightening awareness about the RENATE Network and explore possibilities for mutual collaboration in the fight against Human Trafficking.
Although there are not many active religious in Norway, Imelda’s contacts opened many doors, which led to an immensely interesting and enriching experience for all concerned.
Full Report available here: RENATE Awareness Raising Visit to Norway & Denmark May 2016

Safeguarding Work Conditions for Vulnerable Workers

 

Three years on from the collapse of the Rana Plaza building in Bangladesh on the 24th of April, 2013, which took the lives of over 1,100 garment workers and highlighted the need to promote decent work in global supply chains, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) has compiled a photo report of their response to the Rana Plaza tragedy.
In remembering all those who lost their lives in the tragedy, RENATE takes a look at what progress has been made through joint partnerships between the European Union and the International Labour Organisation, to promote decent work practices in European countries engaged in global supply chains.
For more, please see the following: Safeguarding Work Conditions for Vulnerable Workers
 
Prepared by Anne Kelleher, RENATE Communications Person

Identification & Support of Victims of Trafficking for Labour Exploitation

 

Jana Urbanová, a member of RENATE, working for the STOP Human Trafficking project at Caritas Slovakia attended the above workshop which took place in London, from the 20th to 21st of April, 2016. The workshop was part of a project being run by the following NGOs:
FLEX – Focus on Labour Exploitation from Great Britain,
FairWork from the Netherlands,
ADPARE from Romania.
The aim of the joint project is to develop a common strategic plan in relation to victims, trafficked for forced labour, through proactive identification and support. It is intended that the plan would be applicable throughout all the member states of the European Union.
The research commenced in 2014, having identified gaps in the existing processes of identification. With the help of many countries participating in the first European workshop and based on the research results, strategies were developed which would help improve the process of identification and support people who are trafficked for labour exploitation.
The pilot strategies for identification have been tested in the three partner countries (Great Britain, the Netherlands and Romania), over a period of six months, which lead to this second joint workshop in London, in April 2016.  Representatives from Austria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Ireland, the Netherlands, Romania, Slovakia, Spain and the United Kingdom attended, representing non-profit organisations, trade unions, lawyers and social workers. It is intended that the outcome of this initiative and the application of strategies will be presented in September 2016.
More about the project: https://ec.europa.eu/anti-trafficking/eu-projects-and-funding/proactive-identification-and-support-victims-trafficking-labour-exploitation_en
 
Mgr. Jana Urbanová, Prevention Campaigns Coordinator at Caritas Slovakia
www.obchodsludmi.sk
www.charita.sk
 
Adapted by Anne Kelleher, RENATE Communications Person

Modern Day Slavery, Tackling Ireland’s Human Trafficking Problem

 

It might appear that human trafficking is a problem which is far removed from Ireland and that the term ‘Slavery’ refers to a bygone era.
Gráinne Loughran, in writing for the University Observer, discovers that modern slavery is a worldwide, secretive and multi-billion dollar business, in which vulnerable people are exploited by others for personal, financial gain.
Drawing upon statistics from the Blue Blindfold site, the Migrant Rights Centre Ireland (MRCI) and RUHAMA, Miss Loughran paints a picture of criminal exploitation where it is suspected that the vast majority of the victims of trafficking who were identified by the authorities, have been forced into sexual exploitation.
For the full article, please see;
http://www.universityobserver.ie/features/modern-day-slavery-tackling-irelands-human-trafficking-problem/
 
Prepared by Anne Kelleher, RENATE Communications Person

RENATE Member, Sister Klara Marie Stráníková, Gives an Interview to TÝDEN

 

In a recent interview with Mr. Lukáš Seidl, Journalist with  cz, RENATE member, Sister Klara Marie Stráníková, of the Congregation of Sisters of Mercy of the Holy Cross, talks about her experiences in working with women in prostitution in Prague, the Czech Republic.

Sr. Klara Marie Stráníková, SCSC
Sr. Klara Marie Stráníková, SCSC

It is no surprise to meet a Sister on the streets of Prague, but most people would raise an eyebrow at meeting Sisters walking the streets of the city late at night. Sister Klara Marie Stráníková, of the Congregation of Sisters of Mercy of the Holy Cross knows the harsh realities of the sex trade, stating “a night on the street will change your life.”
Prayer is an important part of the Sisters’ ministry, “We even have special prayers dedicated to women in prostitution,” says Sister Klara Marie. On an average night in Wenceslas Square, she is joined in prayer by a number of women who are prostituted on the streets of Prague. Discretely dressed, they talk, then join hands and pray together, an unusual sight in the heart of a popular tourist city.
“It is a special atmosphere and many participate in prayer. Often, as Sisters, we stand out and many people approach us and ask to join in prayer,” says Sister Klara Marie, who came to Prague four years ago from a monastery in Kroměříž, to assist women in prostitution.
Today, the Sisters live in a smaller community, and together with several other Sisters, spend every Friday night ministering to those who have no choice but to work in the dark corners of the city. In addition to prayers and the distribution of small religious objects, the Sisters provide contact details where the women can access free legal and social assistance, in addition to testing for sexually transmitted diseases.
(…)
Click here to read more: Interview with Sr. Klara Marie Stráníková, SCSC
Original text in Czech available here: TÝDEN
 
Translated and adapted by Anne Kelleher, RENATE Communications Person

Multi-disciplinary Healthcare Professionals Dedicated to Ending Human Trafficking

 

Believing human trafficking is a public health issue, a number of health-care professionals in the USA have created an organisation named Heal Trafficking, whose vision is “A world healed of trafficking”.
Education, advocacy and networking are the cornerstones of the organisation which believes that effectively confronting commercial sexual exploitation and sex trafficking requires informed professionals who are equipped to identify, respond and prevent these crimes.
A recent article by Dan Gorenstein, at the Marketplace’s Health Desk, highlights the disbelief of medical staff at an Emergency Room Department of a hospital in the US in October, 2015, when they encountered a patient who presented with a GPS tracking device (an RFID chip) implanted in her body by her trafficker.
Apart from the indignity to the human person, there are serious concerns for maintaining the anonymity of care-workers and those who run shelters and safe-houses, as they work to support victims of human trafficking and abuse.
In recent years, healthcare professionals in the US have accepted they can play a vital part in the fight against trafficking, sometimes unwittingly encountering victims through routine emergency medicine activity.
The mission of Heal Trafficking may very well be one which will travel across borders and continents, in order to address this latest and base development in the profile of trafficking and exploitation of human beings.
 
More information at:
www.healtrafficking.org
www.marketplace.org
 
Compiled by Anne Kelleher, RENATE Communications Person

 

 

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