By Rosemary Lewallen
St. Irenaeus Health Ministry’s Bridge of Light: Human Trafficking to Human Triumph Ministry presented a respectful and prayerful event to honor victims and survivors of human trafficking on February 4 at St. Irenaeus Church. The program raised awareness about human trafficking. The evening started with a Taize chant, “Veni Sancti Spiritus” (Come Holy Spirit), led by singers Belinda Gonzalez and MiMi Di Rosa, accompanied by Anthony Kocal, St. Irenaeus Music Director. Deacon Israel Rodriguez read a scripture passage about freeing the Hebrew slaves.
Pope Francis calls human trafficking “a crime against humanity because it denies the human dignity of the victim.” Parishioner, David Dunn, said it is modern-day slavery that occurs in every zip code. Men, women, and children are coerced into labor or sexual exploitation. It often begins with recruitment and grooming, then moves to trafficking and control. Only 2% of trafficking victims recover or heal.
Human trafficking is the 2nd largest and fastest-growing criminal enterprise in the U.S. with close to 70% being U.S. citizens. An estimated $150 billion in annual revenue is generated by human trafficking. Labor trafficking includes forced work on farms, factories, hotels, restaurants, seafarers, fishers on fishing boats, and domestic help. We were encouraged to buy Fair Trade products. Victims of sex trafficking may work in brothels, strip clubs, luxury homes, or on the streets. Aged-out foster youth who find themselves with no means of support are most vulnerable. Victims are afraid to tell the authorities due to threats from their traffickers.
Front, right to left: Terry Arenz, Chair, Cancer Support Group; Jennifer Dagarag, Faith Community Nurse; Kiley Perry, Biola nursing student.
A short film, “No Escape Room,” on sextortion from a teenage perspective was shown. It depicted the plight of a 15-year-old boy who was approached online by someone who said she was his age. Selfies are exchanged. Then, the “new friend,” who is a predator, not a teenage girl, asks for a nude photo. The boy complies. Shortly after, he is asked to send $500 that he does not have or else his nude photo would be sent out online. It is estimated that one in five teens send nude pictures of themselves online. It was easy to understand how one mistake in judgment could entrap a person into a dark world of “sexploitation.”
The Solidarity Walk included four prayer stations. Each station focused on different topics: Child Labor Trafficking; Romance Scams and Modern Slavery; Online Risks, such as cyberflashing, AI, and image-based abuse; and the Trafficking Survivors Relief Act, a positive step toward fighting human trafficking.
Cypress Mayor, David Burke, talked about what we are doing on the local level regarding human trafficking. He supported giving the police department the resources they needed to fight this heinous crime. Mayor Burke recognizes that victims are often involved in illegal activities, but officers are educated to treat them as victims instead of criminals.
If you suspect human trafficking, call the Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-3737-888. If there is imminent danger, call 911. For more information about the Bridge of Light: Human Trafficking to Human Triumph Ministry, contact Monica Kovach at 310-490-6113.