On the weekend of November 15th, I had the privilege of taking part in the Youth Symposium on Human Trafficking at the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences in the Vatican. This was a unique gathering of young people from all over the world to share ideas and experiences of working to end human trafficking. Over two days, thirty speakers delivered presentations and papers outlining their anti-trafficking efforts, their insights into this complex issue, and the challenges and successes they have experienced in their work. The participants represented various sectors of the anti-trafficking movement, including organisations working on prevention, awareness-raising, law enforcement and prosecution, advocacy, and care and support of victims.
I was invited to present a paper on the work of the MECPATHS campaign (Mercy Efforts to Counter Child Prostitution and Trafficking in the Hospitality Sector). With fifteen minutes to speak about our work, I described the origins of the campaign, the approach we have taken in reaching out to and working in partnership with Irish hotels, and the future plans for the campaign, most notably, providing anti-human trafficking awareness-raising resources to hotels so they can train their staff in how to spot the signs of trafficking and how to report their concerns to the authorities.
The paper was given a warm reception, and lots of people asked questions. There was a particular interest in the Protocol of Best Practices in Suspected Cases of Child Trafficking, which was drawn up by MECPATHS in conjunction with key stakeholders such as the Gardai, the Department of Justice, the Child and Family Agency (Tusla), and other NGOs. This protocol provides the basis for our awareness-raising resource, highlighting key principles that hotel staff should be aware of and the action that should be taken if staff have concerns about suspicious guests. Participants from other countries were eager to learn whether or not a similar protocol could be adopted in hotels in their own regions, and if so, could we share resources and find ways to support each other in engaging hotels.
Pope Francis and Ruth Kilcullen
When Pope Francis addressed the conference on the second day, the key point he emphasised was the importance of commitment to international collaboration in ending human trafficking. As many participants pointed out during the discussions, the criminal gangs engaged in the trade of humans are highly organised across borders and regions, and if we are to be successful in breaking their sophisticated networks then we need to have strong, extensive networks too. It was really encouraging to see the level of interest our campaign generated, and the enthusiasm with which other anti-trafficking activists were considering how such a campaign could work in their own country, and how we could work together to bring that about.
Other key issues which arose during the conference included the question of vulnerability and the challenges to defining this clearly in legal terms in order to achieve more prosecutions. Patriarchy and our overly ‘macho’ societies was a recurring theme, as was the question of NGOs and religious organisations shouldering the burden of awareness-raising and victim support when this should be provided by the state. The conference provided a very valuable opportunity to hear about the legislative models adopted in other countries and their weaknesses and strengths. Of particular interest was the Bolivian anti-trafficking legislation, which, according to Ana from Bolivia, is cutting edge in terms of the extent of protections and rights it provides for victims, but is sadly ineffective due to massive corruption in the judiciary, police, and civil authorities who are failing to implement it.
It was a long and intense two days, during which I learned a huge amount and was deeply inspired by my fellow young activists around the world. Often, as Austelino from Cape Verde, pointed out, it’s easy to feel like you are alone in this work – that nobody else in the world cares about this and the problem is too big. While our Mercy network worldwide is doing great work to tackle human trafficking, it is also so important for us all to connect and collaborate with other groups whenever we get the opportunity. There is strength and courage to be drawn from gathering with others who are also doing what they can, particularly when there are young people involved; as Pope Francis said, young people are fearless! In the words of Ixchel from Mexico, “we don’t want to just be the hope for the future; we want to be the change today.”
Ruth Kilcullen
MECPATHS
