I stand with Sister Claudia Palacio in her support of women survivors of human trafficking. In reading her statement, I was reminded of the poem “Someone is Beating a Woman” by Andrei Voznesenski.
“Someone is beating a woman
In the car that is dark and hot
Only the whites of her eyes shine
Her legs thrash against the roof
Like berserk searchlight beams.
“Someone is beating a woman
This is the way slaves are beaten.
Frantic, she wrenches open the door
And plunges out – onto the road.”
I share Sister Claudia’s belief that, as she counsels a human trafficking survivor, she is standing on holy ground. Each in our own way, we also must stand with Sister Claudia to end this form of modern slavery.
When the National Advocacy Center of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd sponsored a human trafficking conference last year, we included survivors of sex and labor trafficking on our panels. As we plan for our next conference in May, we will again invite survivors to bear witness to their exploitation. Although painful, their testimony can be a way of healing themselves and a way of highlighting the need for protective legislation.
Written by Larry Couch, Director of the National Advocacy Center of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd.