It Happens in Your Own Backyard
By Ben McCullough | For On Mission
In the quiet of our parishes, the peace of Sunday Mass, or the comfort of our homes, the horror of human trafficking can feel impossibly far away. It seems like something that happens only in distant countries, to people we’ll never meet, under circumstances we can’t imagine. But that sense of distance is misleading. Human trafficking is closer than we think — geographically, morally, and spiritually.
As Catholics, we are called to confront this reality not just with words, but with hearts and hands committed to justice. However, it is important to first understand why human trafficking is unjust. Only then can we see what we must do both internally (spiritually) and externally (socially) to confront the reality of it.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church reminds us: “The seventh commandment forbids acts or enterprises that for any reason — selfish or ideological, commercial, or totalitarian — lead to the enslavement of human beings, to their being bought, sold and exchanged like merchandise, in disregard for their personal dignity. It is a sin against the dignity of persons and their fundamental rights to reduce them by violence to their productive value or to a source of profit (2414).”
This is precisely why human trafficking is a grave injustice. It violates the seventh commandment, Thou shalt not steal. By framing the issue of trafficking in the context of the seventh commandment, we can see that the Catechism points us to the fact that human trafficking steals something from the human being. It steals freedom and the God-given right to own what one produces.
If I work an eight-hour workday, I am owed eight hours of pay. Not paying me would be stealing my wages. Furthermore, if I am forced to work those eight hours against my will, not only are my wages stolen, but my ability to choose whether to work those eight hours is also stolen. That is why human trafficking must always be condemned as a grave evil.
What can we do to stop it? The first thing we must do is change our hearts internally. Pope Francis spoke of the “globalization of indifference,” a phenomenon in which people become desensitized to the suffering of others. This indifference is a spiritual sickness. It allows trafficking to thrive in silence. When we look away from our fellow human beings, we risk violating their dignity — not by what we do, but by what we fail to see.
The Catholic tradition teaches us that sin often hides and thrives where it is not named. We must become aware of our own indifference and bring it before Christ on the Cross and in the Eucharist, transforming it into a Christ-like love. Christ is not indifferent to the suffering of his Body, but attentive and loving. We must become like Christ.
Once our hearts are moved, we are called to act. The Church does not simply rest in contemplation of the suffering, but, after understanding the injustice of human trafficking, beckons her members to action. Catholic organizations around the world work tirelessly to combat trafficking and assist survivors. Are you called to be part of that work? Not everyone will be. Each part of the Body has a function, and not everyone can be involved in everything. Perhaps you are called to pray for human trafficking victims or donate to an organization that combats trafficking.
Just as you might familiarize yourself with the signs of a stroke or heart attack, it is important to familiarize yourself with the signs of human trafficking at humantraffickinghotline.org/en/human-trafficking/recognizing-signs. That way, if you ever encounter such a situation, you will know what to do and how to love most effectively.
Ben McCullough received his bachelor’s degree in liberal arts from Wyoming Catholic College and a master’s degree in sacred theology from the International Theological Institute in Austria. His career has taken him around the world. He currently works in Catholic health care in mission and ethics roles.