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The National Coalition of American Nuns board Tuesday, following a meeting in Denver, reitterated its opposition to human trafficking.
It also applauded the Leadership Conference of Women Religious for addressing the problem at its national assembly held in Saint Louis last week.
The NCAN statement follows:
This includes forced labor, sexual exploitation, and enslavement. The victims can be from any ethnic or social background. Women are being provided and used for the sexual pleasure of sports enthusiasts at Super-Bowls, World Series Games, and other sports events.
In the War Against Women countless young women and girls are denied their freedoms. We are aware of abuses in certain countries where girls as young as age 8 can be forced into an arranged marriage and sometimes tortured if they refuse. They are forced into prostitution or trafficked if they do not immediately consummate the marriage or bear children. These vulnerable women and girls are bought, sold, and beaten for many reasons.
The National Coalition of American Nuns opposes all forms of human trafficking.
The National Coalition of American Nuns applauds the Leadership Conference of Women Religious for addressing this problem at their national assembly, Aug. 7-10, 2012, through the panel “Human Trafficking: Stolen People, Stolen Hope” and their resolution of commitment to work to abolish it.
The National Coalition of American Nuns supports student-based initiatives, such as the Red Thread Movement that provides financial support to rescue girls from sex traffickers.
NCAN is an organization of U.S. women religious who have been speaking out on justice issues since 1969.
