The Catholic Bishops Conference of England and Wales (CBCEW), says the church can be likened to a mother who nurtures and protects the child.
CBCEW’s representative, Mgr James Cronin, spoke on Thursday in Abuja, at the First Africa Regional Conference of the Santa Marta Group, in collaboration with the Catholic Caritas Foundation of Nigeria (CCFN).
The theme of the conference is: “Church and State Working Together to Restore Dignity to Trafficked Persons.”
Cronin, who is also the Parish Priest of St. Osmunds Barnes London and former Director of Missio said: “Pope Francis reminds us that the Church is not another NGO.
“Rather, she is a mother and he says that people need to feel the tenderness of a mother.
“What do mothers do instinctively for their children? They prevent them from danger, protect them from harm and work in partnership with their children to ensure the best for them.
“Prevention, Protection and Partnership, these are the three Ps of the Sancta Marta Group,” Cronin said.
“We are Church helping the Church, both here and in the United Kingdom (UK).
“The Church has identified talents and resources within itself to heal, both spiritually and physically and transform the broken lives of those who are vulnerable and have been cheated.’’
According to Cronin, the Catholic Church in England and Wales has been in the front line of efforts to stem the tide on human trafficking.
“Victims themselves are often effective instruments of their own liberation, when enabled to be.’’
The CBCEW called for the Church and agencies across Africa to replicate the Santa Marta Group approach by working with national and international law enforcement, as well as other agencies to fight human trafficking.
According to it, causes of human trafficking and illegal migration should be addressed.
“Finally, can we begin to address the cause of risky migrations?
“For example, poverty, unemployment, youth exaggerated expectations in life abroad, greed and impatience to get rich fast and by any means,” the bishops noted.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the first Africa Regional Conference of the Santa Marta Group was set up four years ago to combat modern slavery as a result of initiatives by the CBCEW.
“Over 40 million people globally are thought to be victims of modern slavery.
“Many women end up in prostitution in European countries such as the UK, while men end up in forced labour and other forms of exploitation.
“Nigeria, where the conference is taking place, is one country of origin; about eight in ten of trafficking victims from Nigeria come from one state alone, Edo State,” the conference stated.