The Human Thread

Stop Human Trafficking

Human trafficking is a crime against humanity. We must unite our efforts to free the victims and stop this increasingly aggressive crime which threatens not only individuals but the basic values of society and of international security and justice, to say nothing of the economy, and the fabric of the family and our coexistence.
Pope Francis (12/12/13)

We know that the garment industry, from the cotton field to the factory, is one of the top industries plagued by human trafficking. The Atlantic even declared “All your clothes are made with exploited labor.”

Thus, yesterday, as the U.S. State Department issued its annual report on human trafficking, was an important day to evaluate progress made confronting human trafficking. The 422-page 2016 Trafficking in Persons Report lists Myanmar, Sudan, and Haiti as currently among the worst offenders for human trafficking. First published in 2011, the report offers one of the more systematic global views of trafficking in persons as well as the charting of progress from year to year.

The full, 422-page report is available in PDF as a complete one-piece file: http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/258876.pdf  It is available in sections from: http://www.state.gov/j/tip/rls/tiprpt/2016/index.htm

This is important, albeit difficult, reading. The Catholic News Agency offered some critical analysis of the report under the headline: “‘Forced to endure hell’ – A severe new report on human trafficking.”