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Antislavery Campaign in Mozambique

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On September 21, 2013

In Justice and Peace, Mozambique Sector, News

Os escravos de teatro copieBy Padre Florent S. Sawadogo, M.Afr, Missionarios de Africa, Paroquia de Dombe
Well prepared and discussed during sector meetings in Mozambique, the antislavery campaign finally took place in the absence of the Sector Superior, Timothée Bationo, who went to Burkina Faso for the Plenary Council. On the 29th August 2013, a minibus well decorated with writing about slavery took off from Beira to Dombe with two seminarians and a driver. The next day was the opening day of the campaign.
In Dombe, the thirsty ones for Justice & Peace awareness were ready early morning to embark to Sussundenga led by Florent S. Sawadogo en route to Tete at about 500km from there. Richard Ujwigowa was already in Tete for the ground work.
In the morning of the 31st, people from various parishes in Tete gathered at the Cathedral longing to take part into the inputs of the day. The following parishes were represented: Changara, Boroma, Matundu, Sao Pedro, Sao Jose, Moatize Cathedral and Matema. There were also some representatives from the Catholic university (UCM), other universities, the commission of Justice and Peace of Tete and some individuals like the Bishop, two visiting Brazilians and some authorities from political circles and NGO’s.
Among the Missionaries of Africa, two Fathers, two stagiaires and two seminarians spread the message of our founder Cardinal Charles Lavigerie to 108 people originating from Sofala, Manica and Tete.
The topics for discussion were: the history of slavery, the slavery of yesterday and today, the traffic of human beings and commerce of human organs, medical assistance on these cases, testimony of an elder about slavery in Mozambique and a drama which summarized this issue.
In the morning of the 1st September, Richard and Florent celebrated the closing Mass of the campaign at the outstation of Matema where the Missionaries of Africa are planning to live and work at the parish.
The seed of “the fight against slavery” has grown in Mozambique. May the Holy Spirit strengthen the hearts of men and women of good will to fight against modern slavery!
The Antislavery Trade Campaign in Chimoio
By Maurice Odhiambo, Stagiaire in Dombe Community
The Antislavery Trade Campaign came to Chimoio on the 7th and 8th of September 2013 at the Catholic University of Chimoio. Richard Ujwigowa welcomed the 500 participants present. Other organizers were Florent S. Sawadogo together with the stagiaires Maurice Odhiambo and Serge Kasongo. The conferences focussed on historical and new forms of slave trade, human trafficking and their devastating consequences.
Different dramas, dancing, reciting of poems, drawing and singing took place at the end of the day. It was a very wonderful night. So much so that no one could sleep. It was accompanied by music to keep the atmosphere conducive. At the end, the juries combined all their results and the first three winners in each item presented won different prizes. It was not only for the best performers but there were also rewards for all the participants. The function closed with the Holy Mass on the 9th at the same venue.

Moçambique: Padres católicos debatem tráfico humano

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On September 18, 2013

In Justice and Peace, Mozambique Sector, News

Beira, 15th September 2013
As I am writing these lines, one of the major events organised at the level of SAP to mark the 125th anniversary of Lavigerie’s Antislavery campaign, has just come to an end. The sector of Mozambique was the only one capable of pulling off something in the line of the bus tour we had envisaged at the initial stage of the campaign. A minibus set off from Beira on 29th August and travelled to Tete, the boom town along the Zambezi River, picking up some people from our parishes of Dombe and Sussundenga. A two day awareness event was organised in Tete and the same happened in Chimoio a week later. Hundreds of people took part. The grand finale took place in Beira, at the centre of Nazaré, from 12th to 15th September. Conferences, debates, radio and television interviews, drama and the 4-day-long continuous and interested involvement of some 80 participants were a considerable achievement by our confreres here.
Claudio Zuccala, M.Afr
Voz of AméricaFrancisco Júnior, Actualizado em: 12.09.2013 18:16
Em Moçambique os padres católicos estão a organizar um encontro para reflectir sobre o problema do tráfico de seres humanos.
O encontro decorre na cidade da Beira, centro de Moçambique. Para além dos religiosos, participam no encontro oficiais da polícia, da procuradoria da república e representantes de diversas organizações da sociedade civil.
”Não à escravatura”, é uma campanha que decorre desde o início do ano, em 22 países africanos onde a congregação católica “Missionários de África”, também conhecida por “Padres Brancos”, está presente.
Em Moçambique, e na zona centro do país, os religiosos já promoveram diversas actividades nas províncias de Tete e Manica, e, de hoje até domingo, vão reunir-se num centro, em Inhamízua, periferia da cidade costeira da Beira. Um encontro de reflexão onde se falará do tráfico de seres humanos.
Com a presente campanha, os Missionários de África pretendem também celebrar os 125 anos da campanha lançada pelo seu fundador, o cardeal Charles Lavengerie, para a abolição da escravatura em África.
Fundada em 1868, a congregação “Missionários de África” estabeleceu-se em Moçambique em 1946 nas províncias centrais de Manica e Sofala onde, para além da sua missão evangélica, tem contribuído para a formação de líderes religiosos sobre a doutrina social da Igreja, justiça e paz, preservação e protecção do meio ambiente, bem como no diálogo inter-religioso.
Não obstante o encontro da Beira marcar o encerramento da campanha “quebremos as correntes”, as acções de prevenção e sensibilização não vão parar tal como referiu à Voz da América, o Padre Hugo Seenan, um dos organizadores do encontro de reflexão sobre o fenómeno de tráfico de seres humanos que iniciou esta quinta-feira e termina domingo, em Inhamízua, arredores da cidade da Beira.

Slaves. They are still among us!

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On September 18, 2013

In Justice and Peace, News, Zambia Sector

Fenza conference 07-09-13 02 copieFENZA Conference: September 17, 2013
This was the theme of the conference organized by the FENZA team on Saturday 17th against the backdrop of the Antislavery Campaign celebrations and commemorations which are coming to an end this month.
Four inputs were given. Claudio Zuccala, the JPICED Provincial Coordinator,  presented the historical background in which the campaign was launched by cardinal Lavigerie -with specific references to the situation encountered by the first White Fathers when they arrived in Zambia at the end of the 19th century-, and the link with contemporary forms of slavery. Brother Jacek Rakowski, director of the Home of Hope, spoke about the slavery inherent to the life of children living in the streets. Sister Sabina Namfukwe, of the Congregation of the Sisters of the Child Jesus, currently matron at the Zambia Catholic University, shared her experience in the field of fighting Human Trafficking in rural areas in Zambia, especially in villages near border towns. In her presentation she explained the methods used by the traffickers and the main causes and contributing factors that lie behind the problem.
Fenza conference 07-09-13 01 copieFinally, Mr Francis Chivuta, coordinator of the National Freedom Network in Zambia and directly involved in human trafficking awareness raising  and victim support,  illustrated the aim, the goal and the methodology used by the NFN which was launched in South Africa in 2011 but is now operating in different countries.
The conference was made lively by PowerPoint presentations and short video clips on the topic. Some of the participants raised interesting questions and gave their own enriching contribution to the debate.
One of the strongest outcomes of the conference is the necessity to create a network of all the parties interested and committed to fighting modern slavery. That would enable us to pool together our resources and plan for the future. We are all convinced that it’s absolutely necessary to keep high the alert level and to do whatever is within our outreach to try and stop any form of slavery. It’s good to keep that in mind as the FENZA team will draw up a table of contents for the next series of conferences.
N.B. Most of the material used during the conference is readily available. Please contact Romaric Bationo at director@fenza.org or Claudio Zuccala at c_zuccala@hotmail.com

Prosecutors get mannual on human trafficking

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On September 12, 2013

In News, Publications

The Post Online 12-09-2013By Stuart Lisulo, Thu 12 Sep. 2013, 14:00 CAT
JUSTICE deputy minister Ngosa Simbyakula says there have been very few prosecutions of human trafficking cases in Zambia.
Speaking at the official launch of the first manual for law enforcement officers and prosecutors to combat human trafficking in Zambia, Simbyakula said the training manual provided practical tools to law enforcement officers and prosecutors to understand and effectively apply the provisions of the anti-human trafficking Act of 2008 to ensure the successful prosecution of human trafficking cases.
The manual, which builds on already existing training for law enforcement officers, will equip prosecutors with a clear understanding of what human trafficking is, he said.
Simbyakula said with a focus on the role of prosecutors in the fight against human trafficking, the manual would also sensitise officers on victim identification and assistance as well as witness protection.
Officers included in the training of trainers, which commenced yesterday, include personnel from Zambia Police, the Department of Immigration, National Prosecutions Authority, Drug Enforcement Commission, Zambia Law and Development Commission and the Ministry of Justice.
Simbyakula further said the government’s expectation was to see an increase in the number of successfully prosecuted cases of human trafficking.
And US Embassy chargé d’affaires David Young said the training manual would enable law enforcement officers to bring victims of trafficking “out of the shadows and into the light” where they could find justice and support to rebuild their lives.
They suffer under what President Obama has called the ‘intolerable yoke of modern slavery.’ Last year, roughly 46,000 victims of trafficking were brought to light worldwide, but millions still enslaved. These victims need justice. These victims need our help, said Young.
Chief of Mission at the International Organisation for Migration Andrew Choga who officially handed over the manual to Simbyakula said there was a need to understand what trafficking was and to have a clear picture on when the act had been committed.

Pope Calls for Anti-Human Trafficking Meeting

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On August 24, 2013

In News, Publications

CISA 25 yearsVatican City, Vatican – CISA N0 074 – August 23, 2013
Vatican experts will gather this coming November with the aim of better tackling the growing human trafficking scourge after a request made by Pope Francis.
“We must be grateful to Pope Francis for having identified one of the most important social dramas of our time and that he has had enough trust in our Catholic institutions to ask us to arrange this working group,” said Bishop Marcelo Sánchez Sorondo, chancellor of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences.
The bishop’s academy along with the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences and the World Federation of Catholic Medical Associations will meet to discuss a Vatican action plan to help combat what is often referred to as the modern slave trade.
“Trafficking in human beings is a terrible offense against human dignity and a grave violation of fundamental human rights,” Bishop Sánchez Sorondo told Vatican Radio on August 22. “In this century, it acts as a catalyst in the creation of criminal assets.”
The group will meet at the Vatican City’s Casina Pio IV, home of both the Pontifical Academy of Science and the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences.
Bishop Sánchez Sorondo observed that the United Nations has begun to be aware of this growing crime “only in 2000,” together with the effects of globalization.
“The alarming increase in the trade in human beings is one of the pressing economic, social and political risks associated with the process of globalization,” he said. “It’s a serious threat to the security of individual nations and a question of international justice.”
According to CNA, a 2012 report from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime on human trafficking says around 20.9 million victims are forced into labour globally. Each year, about two million people are victims of sex trafficking, 60 percent of whom are girls. The practice is not limited to poor and underdeveloped areas, but extends to all world regions.

New FENZA Conference on the 7th September 2013

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On August 21, 2013

In News, Zambia Sector

FENZAOur next FENZA Conference will take place on Saturday 7th September 2013.
Venue: Faith and Encounter Centre (FENZA), Bauleni near Mathia Mulumba Catholic Church or Yatsani Radio.
Time: 14:00 to 17:00 hours

Theme: Slaves! They are still among us!

Slavery or enslavement is not just something of the past! Today, millions of men, women and children are trapped in slavery, around the world, including in Zambia.
Yes! Around us, many of our brothers, sisters and children are victims of modern forms of slavery such as: Human Trafficking, Forced Labour, Child Labour, Early and Forced Marriage.
The victims are innumerable! The facts are shocking! But the good news is: some people are already working with the victims to stop these new forms of slavery.
There is still more to be done to fight and stop modern slavery.
Come and get the facts! Let’s us debate the issues and solutions to this human plight. Come and be part of an antislavery campaign.
“I am a human being and I am no stranger to anything affecting humanity. I am a human being and injustice towards other people makes me heartsick. I am a human being and oppression offends my nature. I am a human being and cruelty towards such a great number of my fellow human beings inspires me with nothing but horror.” (Cardinal Lavigerie, Founder of the Missionaries of Africa)
The panellists are activists and victims of modern slavery. We have also invited several of them to be with us.
Your presence and contribution will help in “breaking the chains”.
We hope to see you on Saturday 7th September 2013.
The FENZA Team

International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition: August 23

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On August 20, 2013

In News

logo-wikipedia-free-encyclopediaInternational Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition, August 23 of each year, the day designated by UNESCO to memorialize the transatlantic slave trade. That date was chosen by the UNESCO Executive Board’s adoption of resolution 29 C/40 at its 29th session. Circular CL/3494 of July 29, 1998 from the Director-General invited Ministers of Culture to promote the day. The date is significant because, during the night of August 22 to August 23, 1791 on the island of Saint Domingue (now known as Haiti), an uprising began which set forth events which were a major factor in the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade.
UNESCO Member States organize events every year on that date, inviting participation from young people, educators, artists and intellectuals. As part of the goals of the intercultural UNESCO project, “The Slave Route”, it is an opportunity for collective recognition and focus on the “historic causes, the methods and the consequences” of slavery. Additionally, it sets the stage for analysis and dialogue of the interactions which gave rise to the transatlantic trade in human beings between Africa, Europe, the Americas and the Caribbean.
The International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition was first celebrated in a number of countries, in particular in Haiti (23 August 1998) and Senegal (23 August 1999). A number of cultural events and debates were organized. In 2001 the Mulhouse Textile Museum in France conducted a fabric workshop entitled “Indiennes de Traite” (a type of calico) used as currency in trade for Africans. The International Slavery Museum opened its doors on August 23, 2007 in Liverpool where Slavery Remembrance Day events have been conducted since 2004.
Source: Wikipedia

STOP Slavery Leaflet – Mozambique

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On August 17, 2013

In Justice and Peace, Mozambique Sector, Publications

01 MOZ02 MOZ03 MOZ

Ministry of Michel Meunier on modern slavery in South Africa

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On August 11, 2013

In Justice and Peace, News, Publications, South Africa Sector

OIKOS LogoOn the 2nd August, I gave a talk to students & professors of Cedara (St. Joseph Institute) where our theology students go. There were about 50 people; the biggest attendance they ever had! A proof that modern slavery is a very hot topic! It had been organised by the OIKOS group, of which Antony Alckias is the Secretary. He is one of our students who should be ordained deacon in December.

As I was speaking to philosophy & theology students and teachers, I started with a quick overview of the attitude of the Church towards slavery through the ages followed by a brief history of Lavigerie’s antislavery campaign.

The big question is: what is the Church doing? The Counter Trafficking In Persons (CTIP) Office at the Bishops’ Conference (SACBC) published all kinds of posters & flyers to bring more consciousness. They had a 3 day seminar in April and started a Truck Drivers’ Anti-Trafficking group. They will soon publish a small book “The Church and Anti-Trafficking”. The Sisters seem to have more roles to play, as most trafficked people are women and children.

United in the same Mission,Michel Meunier

Michel Meunier, M.Afr

Also: South Africa Human Trafficking Bill Signed Into Law

Article of Nzimeni Jeremiah Gama, OMI

Speech on the human trafficking and forced labour choral competition

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On July 29, 2013

In News, Zambia Sector

A pre-UNWTO event awareness raising on human trafficking and forced labour in Livingstone, southern province of Zambia
Livingstone, 20th July 2013
Speech by Pastor Francis Chivuta, National Coordinator, National Freedom Network – ZAMBIA (NFN)
CEO, ZCRC
Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is an honor to be here amongst you today to speak on such a delicate issue as Human Trafficking and Forced labour. I would also like to thank the St Andrews Anglican Church of Livingstone through Father Emmanuel Chikoya, the Coordinator of this Programme for inviting me to be the guest of honor and give a key note speech in such an esteemed setting.
Human Trafficking

Of all the global resources, human life is the most significant. The bible in Gen 1:27 say “so God created human beings, making them to be like himself. He created them male and female” This shows how valuable we human beings are special in the eyes of the creator. No diamond can mine itself and no gold has the capacity to be refined without manpower; without human life, all the weapons, food and oil in the world would mean nothing. READ MORE

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