Film screening of ‘New Girls 24 Hours‘ (Chicas Nuevas 24 Horas) by Mabel Lozano (Mafalda Entertainment, S.L., Aleph Media S.A., Puatarará Films, Hangar Films, Arte Vital) (Spain, Argentina, Paraguay, Colombia, Peru).
RENATE and APT (Act to Prevent Trafficking) members in Ireland attended the screening of ‘New Girls 24 Hours‘ Film on the 19^th June 2017 at The Light House Cinema, Dublin and hosted by the Immigrant Council of Ireland and RUHAMA.
Representing six years of investigations into the multi-million-dollar business-side of sexual slavery across five continents, the film is nominated for Best Documentary Feature Film at the forthcoming 3rd Annual Premios Platino of Iberoamerican Cinema, which will take place on July 24th in Punta del Este, Uruguay.
The film aims to expose the figures and the mechanisms used to treat women as mere goods, by showing step-by-step how criminals create a business that generates $32, 000,000,000 per year. In the sex-trafficking business, everything is a profit as the body of a woman can be sold many times a day, with or without the woman’s consent. Themes examined in the film include the export business, economic exploitation, feminisation of poverty and the impact of the post-colonial relations between Spain and South America.
Following the screening, a panel discussion took place comprising the film director, Mabel Lozano and Rocio Moran, director of APRAMP, a Spanish anti-trafficking organisation which features prominently in the documentary, Sarah Benson, CEO RUHAMA and Brian Killoran, CEO of the Immigrant Council of Ireland. The discussions were moderated by RTÉ Radio One Drivetime reporter Della Kilroy. 
Iberoamerican cinema, which includes Latin American, Spanish, and Portuguese productions, has had a prominent presence at the most important international film festivals for several years now and several films have been recognized at some of the most important film awards around the world. 
 
Anne Kelleher, RENATE Communications person.

New items featured on RENATE France- item (1) is simply statistical data about human trafficking in general.
Item 2. Is the French version of the article on NAPTIP- Nigerian National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons.
1.   Information sur la traite des êtres humains en Europe
par Begoña Iñarra
Globalement, le coût moyen d’un esclave est de 120 €. La traite implique principalement une exploitation qui se présente sous plusieurs formes, notamment: – Forcer les victimes à la prostitution – Soumettre les victimes à l’esclavage ou à la servitude involontaire – obliger les victimes à commettre des actes sexuels dans le but de créer … Lire la suite Information sur la traite des êtres humains en Europe
Lire la suite
2.   L’Agence Nigériane contre la traite (NAPTIP) demande la collaboration de l’Europe
par Begoña Iñarra
La nouvelle Directrice générale de l’Agence nationale nigérienne pour l’interdiction de la traite des personnes (NAPTIP) a fait appel à un partage des renseignements entre le Nigeria et les pays européens pour lutter contre la menace de la traite des êtres humains. Mme Julie Okah-Donli a fait cet appel lorsqu’elle a reçu l’ambassatrice de Finlande … Lire la suite L’Agence Nigériane contre la traite (NAPTIP) demande la collaboration de l’Europe
Lire la suite
 

 
To mark the 2^nd anniversary of Pope Francis’ call to care for our common home, you might like to listen to A Prayer for our Earth, composed by his Holiness Pope Francis, has been put to music and is available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJz0ZuxxMI0
The Vatican specially commissioned a video to convey the sentiments expressed in the poem and is available at https://youtu.be/1tYdOIqvpqg
A prayer for our earth
All-powerful God, you are present in the whole universe
and in the smallest of your creatures.
You embrace with your tenderness all that exists.
Pour out upon us the power of your love,
that we may protect life and beauty.
Fill us with peace, that we may live 
as brothers and sisters, harming no one.
O God of the poor,
help us to rescue the abandoned and forgotten of this earth,
so precious in your eyes.
Bring healing to our lives, 
that we may protect the world and not prey on it,
that we may sow beauty, not pollution and destruction.
Touch the hearts
of those who look only for gain
at the expense of the poor and the earth.
Teach us to discover the worth of each thing,
to be filled with awe and contemplation,
to recognize that we are profoundly united
with every creature
as we journey towards your infinite light.
We thank you for being with us each day.
Encourage us, we pray, in our struggle
for justice, love and peace.
A Christian prayer in union with creation
Father, we praise you with all your creatures. 
They came forth from your all-powerful hand;
they are yours, filled with your presence and your tender love.
Praise be to you!
Son of God, Jesus,
through you all things were made.
You were formed in the womb of Mary our Mother,
you became part of this earth,
and you gazed upon this world with human eyes.
Today you are alive in every creature
in your risen glory.
Praise be to you!
Holy Spirit, by your light
you guide this world towards the Father’s love
and accompany creation as it groans in travail.
You also dwell in our hearts 
and you inspire us to do what is good.
Praise be to you!
Triune Lord, wondrous community of infinite love,
teach us to contemplate you
in the beauty of the universe,
for all things speak of you.
Awaken our praise and thankfulness
for every being that you have made. 
Give us the grace to feel profoundly joined
to everything that is.
God of love, show us our place in this world
as channels of your love
for all the creatures of this earth,
for not one of them is forgotten in your sight.
Enlighten those who possess power and money
that they may avoid the sin of indifference,
that they may love the common good, advance the weak, 
and care for this world in which we live.
The poor and the earth are crying out.
O Lord, seize us with your power and light, 
help us to protect all life,
to prepare for a better future,
for the coming of your Kingdom
of justice, peace, love and beauty.
Praise be to you!
Amen.   (24 May 2015 at St. Peter’s, on the Solemnity of Pentecost).

 
The Talitha Kum Training Manual for Women Religious Active in the Prevention of Human Trafficking and Assisting its Victims (2016) offers a broad understanding of human trafficking, encompassing the geopolitical considerations which contribute to the increase of human trafficking worldwide through to theoretical frameworks for prevention and victim protection.   
Trafficking in Women and Children- an Information and anti-trafficking workshop Toolkit, (2003) is divided into 8 colour coded sections, which carefully take the reader through various stages towards an understanding of the nature of trafficking, its causes and the magnitude of the problem.
The kit includes beautiful and poignant Theological Reflections which underpin the entire publication.
The kit includes a selected bibliography and a list of useful websites, whilst also referring to some networks of Religious Congregations and groups working against human trafficking at the time of its publication in 2003.
Both resources are available in Italian, English, Spanish and French, with the anti-trafficking Toolkit also translated into Portuguese.
For these and additional resources, please log on to:
http://www.talithakum.info/resources/training
Prepared by Anne Kelleher, RENATE Communications Person.
 

L’OIM et l’UE aident les victimes de traite grâce à une nouvelle France – Avec le soutien  de l’Union européenne (UE), l’Organisation internationale pour les migrations a (OIM) lancé une plateforme en ligne comprenant un outil de renvoi transnational conçu pour renforcer la réponse des professionnels aux besoins des victimes de traite. L’outil, un modèle … Lire la suite Plateforme en ligne pour aider les victimes de traite

The establishment of National and Transnational Referral Mechanisms, is an online platform featuring the TRM and launched by IOM, as an outcome of the EU-funded Transnational Action (TACT) project  http://www.iomfrance.org/tact/ 
The tool is designed to strengthen professional responses to the needs of victims of human trafficking and contributes to ensuring victims’ access to rights throughout the transnational referral mechanism process, and especially in a situation of cross-border referral.
‘’The tool, known as a Transnational Referral Mechanism (TRM) model, links up experts and professionals from different countries involved in the identification, referral, assistance, return, and monitoring of assistance to victims of trafficking. It defines the roles of each stakeholder participating in national referral mechanisms (NRM) and serves as a platform to inform and connect counter-trafficking practitioners in countries of origin and countries of destination.’’
This is a particularly useful resource which will be helpful in our work and may also be helpful to the partner organisations with whom we work, thus please feel free to share it with all relevant people with whom you work.
The full Press release statement is available at https://www.iom.int/news/iom-eu-aid-victims-human-trafficking-through-new-online-platform
 Prepared by Anne Kelleher, RENATE Communications Person.

 
Studies indicate that 80% of human trafficking victims have had an encounter with the medical profession at one time or another, during their period of being trafficked (http://www.fiercehealthcare.com/practices/physicians-uniquely-positioned-to-help-victims-human-trafficking).
In the United States of America, medical professionals have developed a ‘’shared learning manual’’ that suggests a Human Trafficking Response programme. A PDF. of  its manual (52 pps; PDF), is available to the public, to assist and encourage other health-care providers to implement their own initiatives to help combat human trafficking.
The model of survivor-led and survivor-informed programmes, allied to victim-centred and trauma-informed approaches is current and whilst directed at the United States healthcare system, there are transferrable best practices which might be helpful to RENATE member countries that are thinking of devising similar programmes to help combat human trafficking. 
For more: https://www.dignityhealth.org/hello-humankindness/human-trafficking
Prepared by Anne Kelleher, RENATE Communications Person.
 

 
Natalja Kurčinskaja, Director, Missing Persons’ Families Support Centre in Vilniuis, Lithuania, shares newsof their recent discussions on how best to support victims of human trafficking, issues of access and the variety of possible support services schemes that might be made available in Lithuanian Municipalities.
Much discussion centred on the dilemma of how best to serve those who need the services from the Centres but are non-residents in the local municipality, or are residents locally but wish to avail of supports in another Municipality? Another consideration was whether or not the Centre can offer assistance to victims who are non-Lithuanian citizens and not registered to live in Lithuania? Additionally, what is their capacity to offer support to a victim who is homeless and of no fixed Municipality?
Currently, final works are under way to conclude renovations to the building which will house the offices of the Missing Persons’ Families Support Centre, comprising the main office, a crisis counselling centre, three shelter rooms, two bathrooms, sitting room and kitchen. It is hoped to transfer to the refurbished building in the Autumn of this year, subject to securing the final funds to complete necessary works.  
RENATE wishes Natalja and all at the Centre continued success in their hugely important work.
Photograph of participants at the meeting, left to right:

1. Daiva Buivydaitė-Garbštienė, head of the Social Security and Labour Ministry Social Services Department; 
2. Vaiva Lazauskiene Caritas of Vilnius Archdiocese.
3. Rita, volunteer;
4. Natalja Kurcinskaja, Director of Missing Persons’ Families Support Centre;
5. Eitvydas Bingelis, Social Security and Labour Vice-Minister;

 
 
 
 
Prepared by Anne Kelleher, RENATE Communications.