(Vatican City) – A few days have passed since the celebration of the Conference of St. Martha Group in the Vatican, a meeting attended by the Oblate Sisters of the Most Holy Redeemer. The Group, which was created with the aim of sensitizing and uniting forces against trafficking in persons, has opened its doors since its creation in 2014, and has gone from being constituted exclusively by bishops and senior police officers, to incorporate those who live in first person the reality of the victims of trafficking: Episcopal commissions, religious life and organizations such as Caritas.
Concern about corruption
In this way, the conference had more than 130 participants from 25 different countries and all with well versed about the reality of trafficking from their point of view. A notable case is that of Argentina, in which the Commissioner General of the Argentine Federal Police, Néstor Roncaglia, thanked the work of the Oblates in his country, responsible for sensitizing human trafficking not only to areas of society but also to the same police officers, including in the fight against corruption. And it is that this phenomenon to which Pope Francis has dedicated his video of the month of February, which is one of the main concerns in many countries, in which the government and official organizations are not guaranteed of security.
It also stressed the great concern of States, particularly Europeans, for the insecurity in the humanitarian corridors, since it concerns the refugees, often without documentation and unarmed both for their country and in which they find themselves, they can find a suitable means to respond. Therefore, one of the main objectives of the conference was to highlight the need for government agencies, companies and the media to become aware of the reality of trafficking and to act to eradicate this form of modern slavery. This is the type of slavery that finds every day new forms of exploitation and in which human life becomes a purely commercial factor.
Individual greeting
The conference ended with a hearing of Pope Francis to those present, in which he addressed to all of them some words of encouragement to continue the work and uttered the words of gratitude for the commitment of those present. Finally, the Pope greeted the participants individually and thanked the Oblates once again because the Holy Father himself had met in person the work of our congregation in Buenos Aires, the work they have done for years with women victims of trafficking and in the context of prostitution.
