(ANS – New York) – In recent weeks the Salesian representative at the United Nations Organisation (UNO) has been promoting various events connected with some social issues in which the Sons of Don Bosco have a particular interest : the defence of the weak from human traficking ; social development; combatting HIV infection.

On Thursday, February 10, 2012, the Salesians of Don Bosco and the Scalabrinis collaborated in presenting a side event on trafficking of persons during the Commission on Social Development at the United Nations. Representatives of civil society, activists, and some representatives of governments participated in the workshop.

With decades of experience of working with those who have been trafficked, Rev. Florenzo Rigoni, C.S., Director, Casa del Migrante, Tapachula, Chiapas, Mexico began the interactive dialogue with a presentation entitled Poverty and Human Trafficking:  Binomial of our Times. He addressed the societal structures that have provided a fertile ground for traffickers to sow their seeds of exploitation of the vulnerable.

Rev. Leonir Chiarello, C.S., Executive Director, Scalabrini International Migration Center, expanded the discussion to show the linkage of trafficking and forced labor migration in his presentation: Trafficking, Forced Migration, and Modern Day Slavery in Brazil. While slavery has been outlawed in modern society, the reality is that trafficked persons in many lands live lives of slavery, held captive by unscrupulous businesses that have deceived vulnerable individuals caught in the web of poverty with a false promise of a decent job.

In her presentation: The Protection of the Victims of Traffickers, Ms. Irmgard Pundt,  Assistant Director of the Casa del Migrante of Tapachula, Chiapas, Mexico addressed the woundedness of those who have been trafficked . She spoke of how she and her colleagues at the Casa del Migrante assist  the women and children who have experienced the horrors of sexual exploitation instead of the promised opportunities for a brighter future.

During the discussion that followed the presentations, the speakers fielded questions on the protection of those who work to rescue those who have been trafficked, prevention programmes for vulnerable populations, prosecution of perpetrators, the protection of women during international sporting events such as the World Cup, and their opinions about the future prospects of those who have been trafficked.

The panel and discussion were moderated by Rev. Thomas Brennan, S.D.B., the representative of the Salesians at the United Nations who, along with Rev. Chiarello, is also a member of the Core Committee of the NGO Committee to Stop Trafficking of Persons.

Published 13/02/2012