REPORT FROM WUCWO EUROPEAN CONFERENCE . VERONA
SEPTEMBER 2008
The conference opened at 5pm on Wednesday 3rd September with an opening prayer followed by the
presentation of the delegations 17 in all, and an introduction by Maria Giovanna Ruggieri WUCWO Vice President for Europe. At 6.30pm we attended Holy Mass
celebrated by His Excellency Mgr Giuseppe Zenti.
Bishop of Verona, Having had a hectic day travelling via London underground in the middle of the morning rush hour, then train to Stanstead and by air to Italy. I have been given a new name “Hannah with the banner” as I juggled with two cases and the aforementioned item on the tube. It was not the weight, but the shape that
was awkward on the very crowded underground trying not to poke somebody in the eye behind me or in the back in front on the escalators. By the time dinner
was over we were all exhausted and made for our rooms pronto. In the morning I was asked if I had heard the fireworks which were very loud,
and I had to say I never heard a thing once my head hit the pillow.
Thursday began with Holy Mass at 7.30am in English with our chosen hymns, readings and bidding prayers, these had been agreed beforehand when meeting with CWL NBCW & UCM representatives. Our opening hymn was Amazing Grace with the first verse sung as an unaccompanied solo, this was very poignant and a particularly apt choice being written by John Newton a Slave trade Abolitionist. We were happy to have our Mass on Thursday as it was the feast of a great English Saint St. Cuthbert At the offertory procession a pink tee shirt made with fair trade cotton was taken up and placed on the altar where it remained all week.
England was well represented 24 of us and we had agreed to all wear the same pink tee shirt made with fair trade cotton when we made our presentation and also during our English Mass when we were all sitting together. This colour was chosen because in the UK it associated with female suffering, and it seemed
appropriate, given how many women suffer through Human Trafficking. And in fact it did make an impact and provoke some discussion.
Each day Holy Mass was celebrated in a different language.
The first session of the day commenced at 9.00am with talks by Dr Cristina Simonelli a Theologian and Professor Marinella Perroni. Dr Paola Degani from the Interdepartmental Centre of Research and Human Rights University of Padua then spoke about the reality of trafficking in Europe, and the laws in force in the EU. Estimated profit in 2000 from human trafficking was Ten Million$ but as we heard later it is now much more.
Immigration presents many difficulties, people who want to leave their county purchase false documents and pay a high price often finding when they arrive in the new country they are exploited in many ways. They are tricked into handing over their passports and are then at the mercy of organised gangs. The women and girls are mainly sold into the sex industry, but men and sometimes women are on the market as cheap labour, they have no papers and nowhere to run to. Remember the Chinese cockle pickers in Morecambe a few years ago, illegal immigrants who came here with a hope of a better life and ended up in virtual slavery.
In Albania and Croatia it is known that women and children are often sold by their own families, young girls from country areas are targeted by gangs, or tricked by so called love trap, when a young man pretends to love them and offer them a whole new exciting life with him in a new country. In fact of course once they arrive
in the country of destination, their passports are taken , he disappears and they are faced with the reality of a new life far from the promised one. In Africa Voodoo which has a very powerful hold is used to procure young women. A young woman trafficked in Rumania can be moved around in Europe crossing many borders without
any documents sold on as a commodity, her asking price lessens as she becomes more used. She is in effect a non person. This is a global problem. .
We were shown maps with routes crisscrossing the countries like huge webs showing how widespread the tentacles of this corrupt practice are. Some countries like England are termed countries of destination, others of origin or transit, sometimes all three ..Many statistics were given to show the huge scale of the problem.
In Italy it is estimated that between 50,000 and 70,000 women from Africa (Nigeria) Latin America and Eastern European are working on the streets of these about 40%
are minors between fourteen and eighteen.
The latest report by Save The Children issued in August 2008 states the victims of trafficking in persons is estimated to be 2.7million and 80% of these are women and children. According to the UN this generates an annual income of $32billion and falls only behind the trade in arms and drugs. No country is immune to this
phenomenon. Before reaching their final destination in Europe women can cross several countries such as Greece, Russia, Bulgaria, Holland, Germany, Spain, France Nigerian women are taken across the Sahara Desert and in all this they are likely to be used and abused before being passed along the line.
Each country gave a presentation with statistics and information on what was being done in their own country to address this ever growing problem. What emerged very strongly was how much the religious communities do providing shelter and safe houses and working on the streets among the women. Sister Eugenia Bonetti a
Consolata Missionary Sister with a great deal of experience and compassion for the plight of these women spoke about young women that have managed to get away and are maybe in a safe house looked after by nuns. but she said, how can you ever give back to these girls that which has been taken away from them by systematic abuse and callous treatment almost from childhood Then there are the customers whose ages range between eighteen and seventy and come from all walks of life, who regularly use and abuse these street slaves. This is yet another manifestation of our consumer society use and throw away. It presents a massive problem
which must be addressed if we are to achieve any degree of success in stopping the trade in human bodies.
Having heard all the presentations on Friday we split up into groups and discussed what resolutions we would like to go before the European Parliament, the final document was handed to the Italian Representative to the European Parliament to be given on our behalf.
The four days were intense, informative and sometimes distressing, but also provided a camaraderie amongst the women from all the countries represented. I think the final words might be those of Sr Bonetti.
“May God help us to make his and our dream become a reality”
In 2010 the General Assembly will be in the Holy Land. This will also mark the 100year anniversary of WUCWO.
Maureen Mayers
International Officer