7 February 2020

Tomorrow is the International Day of Prayer and Awareness against Human Trafficking.

Coinciding with the Feast Day of St Josephine Bakhita, patron saint of South Sudan and survivors of human trafficking, 8 February was declared the International Day of Prayer and Awareness against Human Trafficking by Pope Francis. It is estimated that over 40 million people globally are trapped in slavery or slavery-like conditions – one in four of them a child. Some of these are trafficked into slavery and others forced to work in appalling conditions for a pittance.

Catholic Education Melbourne, ACRATH (Australian Catholic Religious Against Trafficking in Humans) and the Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne have developed an online anti-slavery kit to help schools create a slavery-free staffroom. The kit contains resources that can be modified for different audiences.

The kit will be officially launched by Archbishop Peter A Comensoli next Thursday.