Prayer rally at St. Anthony’s church marks National Human Trafficking Awareness Day
Included were politicians along with the various groups joining sex trafficking survivors and their champions, coming together to urge Congress to pass legislation to help end this crime.
In Manteca, a group gathered on short notice in front of St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church at noon to show their support in prayer.
“We may be little but (together) we're mighty,” uttered one parishioner.
According to Valerie Re, who is the president of the Leader of All Nations – part of the local Legion of Mary, an international association of volunteer members of the Catholic church – many were moved by the summer movie blockbuster ‘Sound of Freedom,' a film by director Alejandro Monteverde on the subject matter.
“We all saw the movie,” said Re, wearing white at the rosary rally along with her fellow parishioners as a symbol of the innocence of children taken away from this tragedy.
‘Sound of Freedom' stars Jim Caviezel as former government agent Tim Ballad, who embarks on a mission to rescue children from sex traffickers in Columbia – the plot centers on Ballard's Operation Underground Railroad.
The group at St. Anthony's prayed the rosary followed by the liturgy, a set of responsive prayers with dialogue of worship from those participating.
“We're praying for the children,” said Re, who mentioned that human trafficking is a modern form of slavery involving young people.
She added: “We pray for our government will stand up for our children.”
This “Eyes on Trafficking” story is reprinted from its original online location.
Fair Use Notice: The PBJ Learning Knowledge Vault is dedicated to advancing understanding of various social justice issues, including human trafficking and related topics. Some of the material presented on this website may contain copyrighted material, the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to promote education and awareness of these important issues. There is no other central database we are aware of, so we put this together for both historical and research purposes. Articles are categorized and tagged for ease of use. We believe that this constitutes a ‘fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. For more information on fair use, please visit: “17 U.S. Code § 107 – Limitations on exclusive rights” on Cornell Law School's Legal Information Institute.
ABOUT PBJ LEARNING
PBJ Learning is a leading provider of online human trafficking training, focusing on awareness and prevention education. Their interactive Human Trafficking Essentials online course is used worldwide to educate professionals and individuals how to recognize human trafficking and how to respond to potential victims. Learn on any web browser (even your mobile phone) at any time.
More stories like this can be found in your PBJ Learning Knowledge Vault.
EYES ON TRAFFICKING
This “Eyes on Trafficking” story is reprinted from its original online location.
ABOUT PBJ LEARNING
PBJ Learning is a leading provider of online human trafficking training, focusing on awareness and prevention education. Their interactive Human Trafficking Essentials online course is used worldwide to educate professionals and individuals how to recognize human trafficking and how to respond to potential victims. Learn on any web browser (even your mobile phone) at any time.
More stories like this can be found in your PBJ Learning Knowledge Vault.