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February 8, the feast of St. Josephine Bakhita, is celebrated in the Catholic Church as the Day of Prayer and Awareness against Human Trafficking.
The Church defines human trafficking as the situation in which men, women, and children are enslaved, exploited, abused as instruments of work or pleasure. Often, the people are tortured or mutilated. Currently, the definition does not include persons who are conscripted into military service under the threat of imprisonment.
Pope Francis asks all Catholic Christians to fight against human trafficking in all its forms.
St. Josephine Bakhita was a Sudanese child captured, enslaved, and abused. Eventually, she was freed and became a beloved religious sister in the Institute of St. Magdalene of Canossa in 1893 in Italy. She served her community by cooking, sewing, embroidery, and welcoming visitors.
