wfn.org | [UMNS-ALL-NEWS] UMNS# 414-Church members can address trafficking locally

[NewsDesk <NewsDesk@UMCOM.ORG>]

Church members can address trafficking locally

>Oct. 3, 2008

NOTE: Photographs and related story are available at
http://umns.umc.org.

>By Linda Bloom*

NEW YORK (UMNS)-Mary Streufert has a blunt assessment of human
trafficking. She calls it "a form of human retail."

A theologian and member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America,
she often addresses congregations "to connect them in their heart and
their head" on the evils of trafficking and what they can do to make a
difference.

During a Sept. 29-Oct. 1 ecumenical conference on human trafficking at
the United Methodist-owned Church Center for the United Nations,
Streufert shared with participants her presentation for congregations.

The Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 defines sex trafficking
as "the recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision or obtaining
of a person for the purpose of a commercial sex act ... induced by
force, fraud or coercion or in which the person forced to perform such
an act is under the age of 18 years." Labor trafficking is considered to
be the same type of actions "for the purpose of subjection to
involuntary servitude, peonage, debt bondage or slavery."

Church members tend to become involved after they realize that
trafficking is a local issue, according to Clare Chapman, a United
Methodist and executive with the National Council of Churches, which
co-sponsored the conference with the Women's Division, United Methodist
Board of Global Ministries.

She advocates an ecumenical approach. "We (churches) are going to have a
much greater impact if we do this together than if we do it
individually," she told United Methodist News Service.

Linda Bales, who fights trafficking as an advocate with the United
Methodist Board of Church and Society, agreed. "We do need to educate
churches on the issue," she said. "They could be very pivotal in
identifying people who are being trafficked."

>Rescue & Restore

The Board of Church and Society works with the Department of Health and
Human Services and its "Rescue & Restore" program
(http://www.acf.hhs.gov/trafficking), which helps identify and assist
victims of human trafficking in the United States.

Often, it's just a matter of getting organized. Barbara Anderson, an
American Baptist from Arlington, Mass., spoke of how church members
decided last year to raise $250,000 for "Break the Chains: Slavery in
the 21st Century" (http://www.abwmbreakthechains.org/), a two-year
national mission project of the American Baptist Women's Ministries. "To
date, we still have 9 months to grow our project," she said. "We have
raised over $206,000."

Project participants, who use resources from Rescue & Restore, have had
requests from across New England to give presentations on human
trafficking. "I think telling the story is what it's all about,"
Anderson said.

Through Trinity Baptist Church, where she attends, Anderson and a friend
set up a church booth about human trafficking at Arlington's "town day"
last year; staged an educational event the first Sunday in Advent; and
led the congregation to agree to sponsor a community awareness program,
which took place in late September.

Now Anderson is involved with a group working to establish a permanent
safe house for trafficked women in Boston and is planning a breakfast
for women of faith in her community to begin building a network of
anti-trafficking advocates.

Carol Smolenski, executive director of ECPAT-USA, which fights against
the commercial sexual exploitation of women, suggested talking "to the
men in your lives about the sex industry in general" and making sure
that churches provide "a child protective environment" and mentoring to
every child.

Churches can participate in ECPAT's campaign to protect children in
tourism by supporting the "Code of Conduct for the Protection of
Children from Sexual Exploitation

in Travel and Tourism" (www.thecode.org) and encouraging U.S. companies
to sign on.

>Lobbying efforts

The National Organization for Women-NYC has had success with a campaign
to remove sex ads from local publications, according to Sonia Ossorio,
the organization's president. NOW also was part of a lobbying effort
that resulted in the passage of an anti-trafficking law by the New York
Legislature in 2007.

"It was the 33rd state to do so," Ossorio told conference participants.
"There's a very good chance your state has done so." If not, she
suggested lobbying for such a law.

Ana White, an immigration and refugee policy analyst for the Episcopal
Church, said her denomination has passed three resolutions on
trafficking, including the funding of resource materials. Both
legislative advocacy and awareness campaigns are effective. "Even if
your state has legislation, you need to be informed about what
legislation it has," she added. "No legislation is perfect."

Cherish Our Children (http://www.cherishchildren.org/), a ministry
affiliated with the Lutheran church, gives congregations a way to
implement the ELCA Message on Commercial Sexual Exploitation through
prayer, education, relationship-building and action, according to Amy
Hartman, the national director.

"We tell people: 'Don't do this as a lone ranger. Build a team around
you,'" she said.

Church Women United has a resource, "Human Trafficking: An Education and
Action Resource," that can be ordered from the organization's Washington
office or downloaded from www.churchwomen.org.

One immediate result of the ecumenical conference is a commitment by the
NCC to work ecumenically and develop a downloadable bulletin insert to
be used on Sunday, Jan. 11, which is Human Trafficking Awareness Day,
according to the Rev. Ann Tiemeyer, NCC program director for women's
ministry.

The Justice for Women Working Group will host educational forums on
trafficking during the general assembly for the NCC and Church World
Service in Denver in November.  The NCC Web site
(http://www.ncccusa.org/womensministry/humantrafficking2.html) also will
continue to be a resource sharing space for the faith community.

*Bloom is a United Methodist News Service news writer based in New York.

News media contact: Linda Bloom, New York, (646) 369-3759 or
newsdesk@umcom.org.

>********************

United Methodist News Service Photos and stories also available at: http://umns.umc.org

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