Sr Pauline Coll SGS is the Chair of Australian Catholic Religious Against Trafficking in Humans (ACRATH).
In June this year she represented Australia at an international meeting in Rome organised by the International Union of Superiors General and the International Organisation of Migrants. As one of the outcomes of this meeting, she was named as a member of an ad hoc committee to forward the aim of the meeting - to establish an international network of women religious working in the area of counter trafficking in persons - to its next step.
Her representation keeps Australia very much in the forefront of the work to eliminate trafficking of humans, especially women and children.
The major outcome of the Rome meeting was the issuing of a declaration which has since been translated into the languages of all the countries represented.
The statement reads ...
International Union of Superiors General
DECLARATION
of the Religious Women participating in
CONGRESS 2008
"Women Religious in Network Against Trafficking in Persons"
Organized in Rome 2 - 6 June 2008
by the International Union of Superiors General (UISG)
and the International Organization for Migrants (IOM)
We, 47 participant members of 29 Religious Congregations representing the National, Regional and International networks in more than 30 countries, have come together to share experiences, discuss, reflect and pray about our delicate mission of counter trafficking in persons.
We denounce the crime of Trafficking in persons and
proclaim it as a grave offense against the dignity of the person and
a serious violation of human rights
As religious women in solidarity with our sisters and brothers who suffer the consequences of this evil we will not remain silent.
We strongly condemn this crime, addressing ourselves first of all to the Governments of the countries of origin, transit and destination in which our sisters and brothers are sold and rendered objects of this modern form of slavery.
We call on governments to be responsible not only to make laws against trafficking and to protect the victims, but also to implement these laws at all levels and to allocate adequate resources to combat this crime. It is their responsibility to activate national and international networks capable of effectively counteracting this trafficking in persons.
We urge Catholic Episcopal Conferences, National Conferences of Religious and Catholic and non Catholic communities, to take a stance and commit themselves with renewed energy for the defense of the rights of these sisters and brothers and to denounce all forms of trafficking.
WE COMMIT OURSELVES
- To network with other social, civilian, religious and political organizations.
- To strengthen existing efforts and initiatives.
- To maximize resources for the prevention, protection, assistance, awareness-raising and condemnation of trafficking in persons.
- To continue to develop educative programs that awaken the consciousness of people to this phenomenon.
We know that only by working in collaboration and solidarity will we be able to confront the structural causes that generate trafficking.
This mission obliges us to take a prophetic stance that requires of us continuous conversion and change of mentality.
We renew our commitment to promote the dignity of every person as a response to Christ's words:
"I have come that they may have life, life in its fullness"
(John 10:10).
Sr Pauline who is also the co-ordinator or the Sisters of the Good Samaritans Working Against Human Trafficking can be contacted in Brisbane 61 7 3861 5613. To send her an email, please click on her name.
Top of page
