8 February 2022

Today is the Feast Day of St Josephine Bakhita, a day for Catholics to remember the victims of modern slavery and human trafficking.

Kidnapped as a child and sold into slavery, St Josephine Bakhita’s struggles and exploitation have become a powerful symbol of the human toll of slavery. It is estimated that over 40 million people globally are trapped in slavery or slavery-like conditions – one in four of them a child. Some of these people are trafficked into slavery and others are forced to work in appalling conditions for a pittance.

Launched by Archbishop Peter A Comensoli in 2020, Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools (MACS), in collaboration with Australian Catholic Religious Against Trafficking in Humans (ACRATH) and the Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne, developed a resource kit to help schools transition to a slavery-free environment by creating a slavery-free staffroom. For more information about the resources available, visit the RESource website.