Today, as in the past, slavery is rooted in a notion of the human person which allows him or her to be treated as an object. Whenever sin corrupts the human heart and distances us from our Creator and our neighbours, the latter are no longer regarded as beings of equal dignity, as brothers or sisters sharing a common humanity, but rather as objects. Whether by coercion or deception, or by physical or psychological duress, human persons created in the image and likeness of God are deprived of their freedom, sold and reduced to being the property of others. They are treated as means to an end.
Pope Francis, World Day of Peace 2015, #4
Touched by God’s mercy and compassion and fired by the inspiration of the Gospel and Catherine McAuley, Sisters of Mercy accompany, advocate, educate and collaborate with others who strive for justice, in opposition to all forms of human trafficking and exploitation.
Sisters of Mercy continue Catherine McAuley’s ministry of outreach to distressed women today by opposing human trafficking. Our Mercy charism demands of us a response, that we hear the cries of all persons who are trafficked, support them, and work with them and others to expose and eradicate the injustice, indignity and violence that they suffer.