Justice, Peace, and Integrity of Creation » North America

Women religious, shareholders raise awareness about child sexual exploitation during the Super Bowl

christina — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 15:27:50 +0000

Building off of last year’s successful campaign, Celebration without Exploitation, members of the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility (ICCR) are once again coordinating with local law enforcement to raise awareness of the risks of child sex trafficking during the Super Bowl.

While football fans pour into Indiana next week to cheer for their favorite teams, traffickers in the sex trade are gearing up for their most profitable weekend of the year. Because trafficking is reported to peak at large sporting events and hotels are the prime venue for prostitution, shareholders have initiated a multi-pronged campaign to keep hotels trafficking-free during Super Bowl weekend and beyond.

ICCR members from the Coalition for Corporate Responsibility for Indiana and Michigan (CCRIM) are coordinating volunteers to deliver materials to local hotel management with specific guidance on how to spot and report suspected trafficking incidents to local law enforcement.

Said Sr. Ann Oestreich of CCRIM, “This was a real grassroots effort on behalf of the 11 CCRIM congregations which included contacting 220 hotels within a 50 mile radius of the Stadium. We asked hotels what they were doing to educate their staffs, and we are hand-delivering anti-trafficking materials to hotel management.”

ICCR members have been in dialogue with companies in the travel and tourism sector regarding anti-trafficking policies for several years.

Said Mark Regier of Everence Financial, “As investors, we believe that human trafficking poses a significant business risk, wherever and whenever it occurs. Unlike the annual Super Bowl Championship, human trafficking takes place year-round across the globe.”

ICCR’s campaign began with the 2010 World Cup in South Africa when investors wrote the hotels, airlines and event sponsors in their portfolios to alert them to the risks of trafficking and request that they adopt formal human rights policies including the ECPAT code against child sex tourism. The Super Bowl initiative, which began last year, is a continuation of this campaign.

Said David Schilling of ICCR, “In light of the upcoming London Olympics, we are already coordinating with investor groups in the U.K. to guard against labor and sex trafficking during the games and we will continue to press all companies to uncover and eliminate human trafficking abuses within their spheres of influence.”

“The clandestine nature of child sex trafficking is what makes it so difficult to investigate and prosecute,” said Deputy Attorney General Abigail Kuzma, director of Consumer Protection for the IN Attorney General’s office. “Indiana’s tougher anti-trafficking legislation, poised for approval ahead of Super Bowl weekend, is both timely and welcome. And we are grateful to CCRIM for enlisting the support of area hotels to shed light on this horrific crime. Once people know what to look for, traffickers will have no place to hide.”

A telenews conference for members of the media will be held on January 30th at 2pm EST. Participants should call (866) 200-6965 and enter the participant PIN code 26308996#.

Contact: Veronica Welch CWR & Partners, LLP 508-222-4802 Ronnie@cwrpartners.com

About ICCR

Currently celebrating its 41st year, ICCR is the pioneer coalition of active shareholders who view the management of their investments as a catalyst for change. Its 300 member organizations with over $100 billion in assets have an enduring record of corporate engagement that has demonstrated influence on policies promoting justice and sustainability in the world.

About Everence Everence helps individuals, organizations and congregations integrate finances with faith through a national team of advisors and representatives. Everence offers banking, insurance and financial services with community benefits and stewardship education. To learn more, visit www.everence.com or call (800) 348-7468.

About CRRIM The Coalition for Corporate Responsibility for Indiana and Michigan (CCRIM) is a faith-based investor group comprising 11 orders of Catholic women religious. CCRIM engages in socially responsible investing in collaboration with hundreds of other faith-based investor groups through the Interfaith Center for Corporate Responsibility.

Faith-Based Investors Call on House Leadership to Support Human Trafficking Legislation

christina — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 21:50:30 +0000

The Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate joined members of US Social Investment Forum and The Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility (ICCR) in a letter to The Honorable John Boehner (Speaker, U.S. House of Representatives) and The Honorable Eric Cantor (Majority Leader, U.S. House of Representatives) seeking their support on the Business Transparency on Trafficking and Slavery Act (HR 2759). The letter strongly encourages the House leadership to support investors, companies, workers and consumers by moving this important legislation forward in an expeditious manner.

This letter was drafted, reviewed and contributed to by a broad coalition of experts and members of US SIF and ICCR. Read the letter…

Latinos and the Transformation of U.S. Catholicism

christina — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 20:04:58 +0000

Sacred Heart parishioners in St. Paul pray the Stations of the Cross in Spanish on Good Friday. Photo by Jim Bovin / for The Catholic Spirit

For an interesting analysis of the impact of the growing Latino population in the US on the Catholic Church, this blog on Huffington Post is interesting.

Click here to read the article…

Pro-Life Marchers Brave Cold, Wet Weather

christina — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 22:32:15 +0000

Tens of thousands of demonstrators marched in the annual Pro-Life March in Washington, DC today, with demonstrations planned in cities and towns across the country, calling for an end to abortion in America. Tens of thousands of pro-life supporters marched through downtown San Francisco on Saturday, January 21, to mark the 39th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion.

Seminarians attending the rally were hosted at the Oblate headquarters in Washington.

Learn more…

Oblate Parish in Roma, Texas Celebrates National Immigration Week

christina — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 15:44:58 +0000

Parishioners at Our Lady of Refuge Parish in Roma, Texas commemorated National Immigration Week (Jan 8-14) with a homily on immigration and prayers for refugees and immigrants. The parish staff also used the bulletin insert provided by the USCCB and encouraged everyone to take it home and use it in prayer all week. The issue of immigration is a story close to home for many of the parishioners at Our Lady of Refuge. The parish is very close the Rio Grande River and members include large landowners, local government officials and immigrant families whose relatives may have faced detention and deportation issues before. Thanks to Fr. Bob Wright OMI for leading the parish into celebrating National Immigration Week.

Stop Trafficking!

christina — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 21:44:07 +0000

This latest issue of the newsletter Stop Trafficking! has good descriptions of the California Supply Chain Act, as well as information about actions being taken around the Super Bowl. Stop Trafficking! is made possible through the supportive sponsorship of national and international congregations of women religious and their partners.

Read the January 2012 issue

Responsible Purchasing and Investing: A Catholic Priority

christina — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 22:30:50 +0000

From buying toothpaste to managing a portfolio – Catholics across the country are taking action to avoid buying from or investing in companies that fail to respect human dignity.

In the 2009 encyclical Caritas in Veritate, Pope Benedict XVI wrote that the economy should be at the service of people, and not the other way around.

“Profit is useful if it serves as a means towards an end that provides a sense both of how to produce it and how to make good use of it,” the pope wrote. “Once profit becomes the exclusive goal, if it is produced by improper means and without the common good as its ultimate end, it risks destroying wealth and creating poverty.”

Going further, Fr. Seamus Finn, OMI has argued that faith-based investors should demand accountability from the companies they invested with or they should divest stock in companies engaged in morally objectionable practices. ”With ownership comes responsibility and rights.”

Papal Message for World Day of Migrants and Refugees

christina — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 18:55:47 +0000

World Day of Migrants and Refugees is January 15th

Copies of the Pope’s message, entitled ‘Migration and New Evangelization’, can be accessed in English, Spanish, French and Italian. Click on the links to access the documents:

Illinois Bishops call for Immigration Reform and Support of Immigrant Families

christina — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 04:01:32 +0000

The Bishops of Illinois opened National Migration Week, which started January 8, with a statement calling on Catholics to provide support to immigrant families and advocate for comprehensive immigration reform.

During the next six months, each diocese in Illinois will share the stories and realities of immigrant families in their parishes and communities. These stories will be published in diocesan newspapers, bulletin inserts and on our website.

Read the bishops’ statement…

If you have actions, news and reflections about the National Immigration Week from your community, parish or diocese, please share these with the JPIC office.

January 11, 2012 — Human Trafficking Awareness Day

christina — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 20:58:57 +0000

Wednesday, January 11, 2012 is Human Trafficking Awareness Day in the U.S., thanks to passage of a resolution by the Senate on June 22, 2007 making January 11th a day of awareness and vigilance for the countless victims of Human Trafficking around the world.

Human Trafficking involves the recruitment, transportation, and forceful detention of people either from one country to another, or within countries. Threats, force and/or deception are typical. Those being exploited are either unpaid, or given a very small payment for their work, prostitution or other sexual exploitation, and are not free to leave these abusive situations. Each year, there are between 600,000 and 800,000 people trafficked across borders throughout the world. There are many more trafficked within countries as well. The United States is not immune to this problem; Many are trafficked within U.S. borders, as well as into the U.S. from outside.

Human Trafficking is rapidly growing, despite the efforts of many to control it. Wherever there is poverty, war, flood, famine, or any kind of upheaval, unscrupulous people prey on the vulnerable. Women and children are especially affected, but many men are as well.

Many of us are unaware of the number of slaves (yes, slaves) we use to maintain our lifestyles. Go to www.slaveryfootprint.org for a series of questions that will show how many slaves it takes to maintain the way you live.

For ideas on what to do, check out the website for Breaking the Snares – A resource for parishes to use in combating Human Trafficking by the Sisters of the Divine Savior; see their parish resource.

In addition, explore the following:

Stop Trafficking Newsletter and other resources: http://www.stopenslavement.org/archive.htm#handouts
End Child Prostitution and Trafficking: www.ecpat.net (Website also available in French and Spanish)
Google The Dark Side of Chocolate to find several sites that show how children in Africa are involved in the chocolate that is so available to us.

If you suspect someone may be a victim of human trafficking call: Trafficking Information and Referral Hotline 1-888-373-7888