Become a Shepherd

How I wish that all of us would hear God’s cry: ‘Where is your brother?’ (Gen. 4:9). Where is your brother or sister who is enslaved? Where is the brother and sister whom you are killing each day in clandestine warehouses, in rings of prostitution, in children used for begging, in exploiting undocumented labor? Let us not look the other way." - Pope Francis, Evangelli Gaudium

January is National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month

January has been designated as National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month. In addition, January 11th, is National Human Trafficking Awareness Day. We have put together an all-inclusive resource for you to use to help spread word. In this toolkit, you will find: Sample Letters to the Editor, Social Media Samples, Homilies, and more.  

Learn More and Spread the Word

Through the SHEPHERD toolkit, you can learn about human trafficking from a Catholic perspective, equipping yourself with the educational tools to raise awareness of human trafficking in parishes, schools, or other social networks. We encourage you to use SHEPHERD resources to organize workshops, discussion groups, and prayer sessions. Email MRSShepherd@usccb.org to request the SHEPHERD toolkit and leader’s guide to help you get started. You will receive both English and Spanish versions. 

Host a Movie Screening and Discussion

Select from 16 documentaries and feature films and then use the discussion questions to get the conversation started. Due to the nature of the content, these are recommended for older youth, young adult and adult audiences. Check out our SHEPHERD Movie and Discussion Guide.

Human Trafficking and the Holy See  

To learn more about the Vatican’s anti-trafficking outreach and educational activities, visit the Pontifical Academy of the Social Sciences and the Pontifical Academy of Sciences’ human trafficking website.

International Day of Prayer for Victims of Human Trafficking

We encourage the faithful to observe the International Day of Prayer and Awareness Against Human Trafficking, promoted by the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, celebrated on February 8th, the Feast Day of St. Josephine Bakhita. To learn more about the Day of Prayer, visit our site. 

The Human Trafficking Stations of the Cross

The Stations of the Cross began as the practice of pious pilgrims to Jerusalem who would retrace the final journey of Jesus Christ to Calvary. Later, for the many who wanted to pass along the same route, but could not make the trip to Jerusalem, a practice developed that eventually took the form of the fourteen stations currently found in almost every church. The Human Trafficking Stations of the Cross is a resource for you to meditate on the human rights violation of trafficking and its parallels to His suffering on his last day. Through these meditations and prayers, we remember all of those who are trafficked into modern day slavery and suffer at the hands of their captors. Downloads of the stations are available in English and Spanish.

Our awareness must expand and extend to the very depths of this evil and its farthest reaches … from awareness to prayer … from prayer to solidarity … and from solidarity to concerted action, until slavery and trafficking are no more. -Cardinal Peter TurksonTake Action to End Human Trafficking

Be an ethical consumer and employer

Find out how your actions can contribute to or reduce the demand for human trafficking. Websites like www.ecpatusa.org and www.slaveryfootprint.org can be good places to start.

Report trafficking concerns

Visit www.usccb.org/stopslavery to learn more about how to identify a potential victim and what you can do to help. You can report tips on potential cases of human trafficking to the National Human Trafficking Hotline 1-888-373-7888. The text message number is: HELP to BeFree (233733).

Support the work of the USCCB and DONATE

For more than a decade, USCCB's Anti-Trafficking Program has been a leader in the fight against human trafficking. We've helped more than 3,000 survivors and their family members begin the road to recovery and rebuild their lives. We've trained organizations in the U.S. and abroad on how to help victims. Through the Amistad Movement, we partner with immigrant communities who are at-risk to help spread awareness about human trafficking and help empower them to protect their own communities from traffickers. We also work with policymakers to draft, improve and evaluate laws on human trafficking. We are committed to advocating for the victims of this crime and seeking an end to modern day slavery.

If you would like to directly support our initiatives to stop modern-day slavery, prayerfully consider making a donation. If in New York, Florida, or the District of Columbia, donate online. If in another state, please go to the Catholic Fund against Human Trafficking.