Santa Marta Group

At the conclusion of the conference representatives from the Church signed a declaration to commit to eradicate human trafficking within society.

In a message during a World Fisheries Day panel discussion Cardinal Turkson said that fishers are “crying out for help and, as Church, we cannot shut our ears and we cannot remain silent.”

Cardinal Onaiyekan praised the new partnerships between the Church and law enforcement describing it as key to the addressing the “tragedy of rampant modern day slavery and trafficking”. 

A major report has been launched by the Conference of Religious and the Arise Foundation mapping the extraordinary contribution to anti-trafficking by UK Religious, from front line individuals, to the gifting of properties for the benefit of victims.

A major anti-trafficking conference is taking place in Abuja, Nigeria this week. Organised by the Santa Marta Group and hosted by Caritas Nigeria.  It has as its theme “Church and state working together to restore dignity to trafficked persons”.  It is the first Santa Marta Group Africa Regional Conference.

Archbishop Bernardito Auza, the Holy See’s Permanent Observer to the United Nations in New York on Nov. 9 addressed a conference on “Practical Solutions to Eradicate Human Trafficking”.

The Santa Marta Group and the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales made a submission to the Home Affairs Committee, drawing on the experience of the charities and agencies working with the Church to tackle modern slavery in England and Wales.

On Anti-Slavery Day, 18 October, former UK Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner and recently appointed Senior Advisor to the Santa Marta Group, Kevin Hyland OBE, has called for the government to deliver on promises made to victims of modern slavery.