Presiding Bishop Michael B. Curry has issued this statement on human trafficking:
As we observe National Human Trafficking Awareness Month 2018, it is important that we recognize trafficking in persons is a crime that goes against the most basic tenets of our faith. It is also, unfortunately, all too common and puts millions in danger every day.
Human trafficking manifests itself in a variety of ways and in a variety of industries, from personal servitude to agriculture to hotels and hospitality or to commercial sex work. But what we know for sure is that in order for this crime to occur, perpetrators must devalue and dehumanize another person.
We must be clear that all human beings are made in God’s image and each deserves a life free from violence or threat of violence, exploitation, and coercion. We must also condemn structures and systems that make it all too easy for such evil to occur.
I commend the work of dioceses, congregations, and individuals across our Church and the Anglican Communion who are partnering to build awareness, support survivors, and protect against human trafficking. I urge all who follow Jesus to commit to further developing loving, liberating, and life-giving relationships with God and one another.
The Office of Government Relations encourages advocacy, through the Episcopal Public Policy Network, to fight human trafficking. An action alert on human trafficking encourages Congress to pass the Trafficking Victims Protection Act. The Office of Government Relations offers a form for writing to Congress.
Adapted from the Office of Public Affairs
Matthew Townsend is a Halifax-based freelance journalist and volunteer advocate for survivors of sexual misconduct in Anglican settings. He served as editor of the Anglican Journal from 2019 to 2021 and communications missioner for the Anglican Diocese of Quebec from 2019 to 2022. He and his wife recently entered catechism class in the Orthodox Church in America.
