February 8, the feast day of St. Joseph Bakhita, is the International Day of Prayer for Victims of Human Trafficking.

Human trafficking “is a deep wound, inflicted by the shameful pursuit of economic interests without any respect for the human person,” Pope Francis said. “So many girls – we see them on the streets – who are not free, are slaves of traffickers, who send them to work and, if they do not bring the money, beat them. This is happening in our cities today. Let us really think about it.”