FADICA and Catholic Charities USA Plan Conference on Human Trafficking

Washington, DC – – Foundations and Donors Interested in Catholic Activities and Catholic Charities USA will join forces May 20th next, to discuss the rapidly expanding problem of human trafficking.

The Washington DC meeting of private grant makers and CCUSA was prompted by growing caseloads within the Catholic Charities nation-wide network treating the victims of human trafficking.

Catholic Charities USA reports that about one quarter of its 163 agencies now provide care and services to these victims.

According to the U.S. government, the trafficking of humans is the second largest criminal industry in the world.

It reports that almost a million victims are trafficked across international borders worldwide.

The U.S. government estimates that about 17,000 foreign nationals are trafficked into the United States annually.

Victims are often forced to work in prostitution and the sex entertainment industry. But they are also victims of domestic servitude and sweatshop factory and migrant agricultural work.

Often children are the victims of trafficking, estimated to constitute a third of all victims.

Catholic Charities USA has been working on ways to build local capacity to build outcomes based treatment for them and to raise community based awareness.

This year CCUSA will launch a national assessment of the services provided by local Catholic Charities agencies to victims of human trafficking.

The May conference, which will include FADICA members from around the country will hear from Catholic Charities agency representatives, Catholic health care, law enforcement specialists, and public officials.

FADICA is comprised of over fifty foundations and grant making agencies sharing an interest in programs under Catholic auspices.