International Day of Prayer and Awareness Against Human Trafficking

Pope Francis has designated 8th February, the feast of St Josephine Bakhita, as the International Day of Prayer and Awareness Against Human Trafficking following a request from Talitha Kum, the worldwide Network of Consecrated Life Against Human Trafficking.

“Journeying in dignity” is the theme of the 2023 International Day of Prayer and Awareness Against Human Trafficking.

ACRATH invites you to participate in this event

to help end human trafficking and slavery.

A Fresh Approach

This year, a team of young people prepared the theme and activities for the international celebration. ACRATH, in partnership with Talitha Kum, invited our secondary school networks around Oceania to offer their views on Human Trafficking and how they plan to commit to action. They invite us to journey in dignity, to walk and be pilgrims of human dignity. The students have produced a video that will compel a global audience to act. This video is informative, uplifting and inspiring and is
available to view via this link.

Watch VIDEO – Join Colleen Jackson, rsc an ACRATH member and Oceania representative from Talitha Kum , and ACRATH’s Community Development Worker, Cindy Bohan, as they discuss the meaning and theme of this day for the 2023 year and how you can get involved.

Who is Josephine Bakhita?

Josephine Bakhita was born in Southern Sudan in 1869, and during her life experienced kidnapping and slavery in both Sudan and Italy. After gaining her freedom Josephine Bakhita dedicated her life to sharing her story and to supporting the poor and suffering. She eventually became a Canossian Sister and was canonised in 2000.

Learn more about Josephine Bakhita here.

Suggested Actions for participating in the event

Click here to download and share a document listing all the ways you can get involved on the 8^th February 2023 and beyond to help end human trafficking and slavery.

REFLECT AND PRAY

View the daily calendar of reflections and prayer created by the Sisters of St Joseph Orange (USA) from 11^th January to 8^th February.

PILGRIMAGE OF PRAYER AND AWARENESS

Join the International Pilgrimage of Prayer and Awareness Against Human Trafficking LIVE online here. The online pilgrimage will commence at 7:30pm AEDT. During the online Pilgrimage, Pope Francis will mission young people worldwide to a year of action to eliminate human trafficking and exploitation and care for survivors.

Watch out for more news and developments! A recording of the live pilgrimage will be available via this link.

TEST AND SHARE YOUR KNOWLEDGE

Do you know how many people worldwide right now live in slavery-like conditions? Click here to take our modern slavery quiz to educate yourself and your family/colleagues/network.

SUPPORT COMPANIES WITH TRANSPARENT SUPPLY CHAINS.

Begin following companies that are making changes to try and eliminate slavery from their supply chains. Look up the modern slavery statements of Australia’s top 4 companies at the Online Register for Modern Slavery Statements.

ASK THE QUESTION – WHO IS MAKING MY CLOTHES?

Chances are that children and adults, working in sweatshops for little money and often in appalling and hazardous conditions, make some of the clothes you wear or clothes you might want to buy this summer. Baptist World Aid has produced the Australian Fashion Report. It’s a report card on the fashion industry, and it rates your favourite brands on workers’ safety, wages and other conditions. Download the guide and Speak Out to brands you are pleased or disappointed by:

Go to Baptist World Aid Ethical Fashion Report site - click here.
Scroll down to Find Your Favourite Brands. Insert the name of the brand you would like to investigate.
Select that brand to find out their score in 2022 and send off the pre-written message to this brand asking them to lift their game.
Speak Out! Use your consumer's voice

GET THE SLAVERY OUT OF EASTER CHOCOLATE

This Easter, educate yourself about what’s really going into the chocolate you buy for family and friends.

Be Slavery Free has produced a chocolate scorecard after surveying the world’s biggest chocolate companies to find out about their supply chains.

Click here to download the scorecard via their website and find out which chocolate brands are rising to the challenge and which ones continue to ignore consumer demand for chocolate that’s produced free of child labour.

WATCH ABC’S FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT

For an insight into the impact of the powerful Cobalt mining industry click here to watch ABC's Foreign Correspondent – we are all using the end product.

WATCH THE ACRATH CONVERSATION SERIES TOWARDS A SLAVERY-FREE EASTER

This ACRATH conversation looked at the issue of slavery in the cocoa industry and how we can move towards a slavery-free Easter. Click here to hear Be Slavery Free Co-Directors Carolyn and Fuzz Kitto and Peter Millard, Supply chain Manager Haigh’s Chocolates, shared their passion for a world free of slavery and how this can be possible.

READ AND REFLECT

The background notes to the Pilgrimage theme - HUMAN TRAFFICKING: A PROCESS THAT REDUCES PEOPLE TO OBJECTS FOR EXPLOITATION - can be downloaded here.

SHARE IN YOUR NETWORK

Help to raise awareness by sharing all our resources for the International Day of Prayer and Awareness Against Human Trafficking in your networks.