Addressing Human Trafficking

Many people think that human trafficking is an issue that only exists in poor or developing countries. The reality is that human trafficking is a growing problem that exists everywhere, including our own community. Each year, an estimated 17,000 vulnerable women, men, and children are lured into forced labor or commercial sex exploitation in the U.S. Human trafficking is second only to drug trafficking as the most profitable form of transnational crime. While much is being done to address the issue, much more needs to be done to eradicate this form of modern-day slavery. To shine a light on this often hidden issue, the Chelmsford Catholic Collaborative Social Justice Committee has been hosting a series of events to raise awareness and take action. Two additional events have been planned.

The first event will focus on labor trafficking. Labor trafficking victims make an alarmingly high number of consumer goods and food products, imported to the United States and produced domestically. We will learn about this issue from the perspectives of the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office, the Department of Homeland Security, and from Beatrice Fernando, founder of the Nivasa Foundation and a Sri Lankan survivor of human trafficking herself. The labor trafficking presentation will take place on Thursday, April 26th at 7:00 PM at St. Mary Church Hall, 25 North Road in Chelmsford.

Our last event, conducted in collaboration with the United Nation Children’s Fund (UNICEF), will feature a screening and discussion of the documentary film Not My Life. Filmed on five continents over four years, the film brings the horrifying practices of the multibillion-dollar human trafficking industry to life through the stories of survivors. Following the film screening and discussion, we will begin planning ways our community can take action to address human trafficking. The film screening will take place on Tuesday, May 1st at 7:00 PM at St. John the Evangelist Church Hall, 115 Middlesex Street in North Chelmsford.

Both events are free and open to the community.