His Holiness Pope Francis and the President of the United States of America, Barack Obama, have declared a common commitment to the eradication of trafficking in persons. The commitment was made as an outcome of the 27 March meeting between Pope Francis and President Obama in Vatican City.
ECPAT International, a global network of organisations dedicated to protecting children, welcomes the commitment by two of the world’s most influential leaders to end human trafficking. “The recognition by His Holiness Pope Francis and President Obama of the importance of this issue on the global agenda is a significant step towards the suppression of these crimes” says ECPAT Executive Director, Dorothy Rozga. “Human trafficking, particularly the trafficking of children for sexual purposes, is a heinous human rights violation that occurs in every country of the world and it has to stop.”
ECPAT’s work centres on combating the commercial sexual exploitation of children, including child trafficking for this purpose. It seeks to ensure that children everywhere enjoy their fundamental rights free and secure from all forms of commercial sexual exploitation.