The Valley Catholic
in the church
$500,000 grant to boost MRS trafficking
services in maritime industry
By Dennis Sadowski
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- The loose
worldw ide net work of Cat hol ic
charitable agencies assisting human
trafficking victims is expecting a boost
from the U.S. State Department to the
tune of $500,000.
The government planned to channel
the funds to Migration and Refugees
Services of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops to track the services that are
available and how well they work with
the goal of expanding programs in areas
where victims’ needs are greatest.
The two-year effort will piggyback
on efforts of Pope Francis, who has
focused attention on sex and labor
trafficking, and the desire of MRS staff
members to better connect Catholic
agencies and their partners as well as
women Religious and clergy who may
come across people being trafficked.
The focus initially will be on people
in maritime industries including fishing, seafood processing, shipping and
tourism, explained Hilary Chester, associate director of the Anti-Trafficking
Services Program for MRS.
MRS plans to involve people who
minister with the Apostleship of the Sea,
a Catholic ministry serving mariners.
The ministry takes the form of seaside
chapels and Catholic welcome centers
as well as on-ship clergy and Catholic chaplaincy programs which bring
clergy, the sacraments and other facets
of Church life to travelers at sea.
Investigators and trafficking victim
advocates have uncovered cases of
physical abuse, forced detention, sweatshop working conditions, work going
unpaid and the withholding of wages to
pay finders’ fees for work among people
working in the maritime industry.
Chester said, “We are going to pull
together a working group of people
who are already very engage