Imagine you are 18 years of age and have just arrived in Ireland from Burma seeking a new life of opportunities away from the poverty of your own country. The journey was long and tedious; conditions were most uncomfortable. But that does not worry you now; you are starting a new job in hospitality in Ireland. You are collected by a man, who is to take you to your new accommodation. Yes, he does take you to your new accommodation, but it is not what you expect. It is dark, dirty and dreary. You notice several other girls who look very frightened. Immediately your passport is taken from you. You cannot understand what this man is saying to you. You are pushed into a corner and you know that you are told to be quiet. This is the beginning of your ‘new life’ in Ireland which is noted for its ‘Cead Mile Failte’.
This story is one of the many stories that is at the heart of why on Tuesday, May 1st, a number of Sisters from the Southern Province, together with a group of Transition year students from St. Mary’s Secondary School, Mallow gathered to attend a presentation on Human Trafficking. This excellent presentation was given by Srs. Sheila O’Gorman and Mary Ryan. They are active members of APT, Act to Prevent Trafficking, a faith–based group working to address the global problem of Trafficking in Persons. APT’s Vision Statement states:
Our vision is that of a world in which all persons are respected, valued and given the dignity which is theirs by right; a world where no one seeks to exploit or to enslave another for the purposes of sexual gratification or financial gain.
Approximately 1,000 girls are available in Ireland for prostitution; most of them are foreign. 80% have reported physical abuse. For me the core message of the presentation is to become aware of the need to be alert and conscious of the complexity of this issue of trafficking and prostitution in Ireland. This is an issue that needs to be brought to the light as it thrives in its hiddenness.
As I listened to the presentation I was reminded of Catherine Mc Auley opening Mercy House in Baggot Street as a response to the situation in Dublin in the 19th Century where vulnerable young women were exploited. I felt Catherine’s founding vision was in many ways very similar to what I was listening to in this presentation. For me, this posed the challenge as to how I/we, as Mercy Sisters, can respond in justice and compassion to this obvious need of our time where vulnerable women are trafficked and exploited. Our Chapter Statement 2006 calls and commits us to this challenge when it states: ‘How will we engage with others around the questions and struggles of our time?’
For more information on APT see www.aptireland.org
Patricia O’Donovan rsm
Congregation
