Pope denounces: "The scourge of human trafficking and slavery"

Vatican City, 10 (Reuters) – Francis on Sunday urged governments to take "decisive" measures against trafficking in human beings and to solve the tragic plight of millions of modern slaves. "I appeal to governments, in particular, to ensure that the causes of this scourge are dealt with decisively and that victims are protected," said the pontiff.

According to the Global Slavery Index 2016 Human Rights Walk Free Foundation, about 45.8 million people live in a form of slavery around the world. Migration is a dominant and highly politicized problem in Europe, although the peak of more than one million asylums arrived in 2015 has since been reduced.

Many migrants arrive by traffickers, often in extreme conditions and for large sums of money. "We can all and must do more and help by reporting cases of exploitation and slavery of men, women and children," added the pope.

On February 8, when the Church celebrates the day of awareness raising about human trafficking, it is the feast of St. Josefina Bakhita, born in Sudan in 1869 and sold as a slave to children by the kidnappers. After regaining his freedom, he joined an order of nuns in northern Italy, where he died in 1947.