Confront the Roots of Slavery

Holy See Intervention During Security Council Open Debate

On November 21 H. E. Archbishop Bernardito Auza, Permanent Observer Mission of the Holy See to the United Nations, gave an intervention during Security Council Open Debate on “Maintenance of International Peace and Security: Trafficking in Persons in Conflict Situations.” He called on the international community to work towards the eradication of slavery by confronting all of its economic, environmental, political and ethical root causes, emphasizing the importance of preventing and ending the wars and conflicts that create conditions for traffickers to exploit victims. He stated that “as long as wars and conflicts rage, trafficking in persons for sexual exploitation, forced labor and similar crimes will continue to flourish.”

He concluded his statement with words of Pope Francis expressed this year on the World Day Against Trafficking in Persons when he warned us against “getting used” to trafficking in persons, treating it as if it were a “normal thing,” when in reality it is, he said, “ugly, cruel, criminal, an aberrant plague, a modern form of slavery, a crime against humanity”.

Download the full statement here.