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Sister educates Arkansans on human trafficking

Daughter of Charity is advocating for stronger trafficking laws in state

Published: October 29, 2011   

By Phyllis Hemann
Associate Editor

Phyllis Hemann

Sister Mary Jo Swift, DC, was invited by the local Daughters of Charity to teach about human trafficking in Arkansas.

Phyllis Hemann

Sister Mary Jo Swift, DC, was invited by the local Daughters of Charity to teach about human trafficking in Arkansas.

Sister Mary Jo Swift, DC, traveled Arkansas in October to present to churches, youth groups and organizations about human trafficking and how to help its victims.

"It's a huge problem here in the United States as well as in other countries. I think sometimes people don't know that it exists," she said. "The presentation that I do is an introductory thing to get them aware of what the problem is."

Human trafficking, a form of modern-day slavery, even happens in Arkansas, she said. Men, women and children are routinely forced to work in factories, sweatshops, agricultural settings, restaurants, hotels, truck stops, domestic settings and other places. Often, they come to another country with the promise of a job and a better future for their families.

Trafficking victims can also be forced into sexual slavery. Sister Mary Jo said that two studies show that up to 300,000 children, mainly middle-school-age girls, are at risk of sex slavery in the United States.

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Sister Mary Jo became involved in human trafficking when she worked in health care in San Antonio where she attended a workshop on human trafficking.

"I didn't know hardly anything about it before then," she said. "I can remember thinking if I was around when the Underground Railroad was functioning, would I work with it? And I though 'Gosh, I hope I would,' and so I said to myself 'Then you better get busy and get involved in this.'"

She learned about the issue and began giving presentations to educate people about human trafficking in the San Antonio area. Her order then asked her to travel around her province with the Daughters of Charity. She is currently based in Evansville, Ind.

"Unless people are informed, unless people here know about it, they are not going to look for the signs and they're not going to be freed. Law enforcement can't always find it," she said. "Every example that I use in the PowerPoint and what is on the DVD, people just noticed signs and got suspicious and called the authorities. Ordinary people are the ones who are going to help these slaves."

Her travels in October took her to Conway, North Little Rock, Little Rock, Dumas, Gould, Fort Smith, Subiaco, Bentonville, Jonesboro and Hot Springs.

"Here in Arkansas, the response is magnificent. One of the first ones I went to was in Conway, talking to the high school kids. A lot of them didn't know very much about it, but they were really interested," she said. "I talked about laws here in Arkansas because they need to be improved. They decided to do a letter writing campaign to their senators and representatives to let them know what are some of the laws that need to be changed or added."

The Daughters of Charity consider human trafficking a high priority, Sister Mary Jo said.

"My plan is to continue spreading the word to people who don't know for as long as I can," she said. "I want people to know that they can help. One of the first things people can do is pray -- pray for the victims and the traffickers. Only God is going to change this. We feel like we can do things on our own, and we can't."

Through her presentations and other resources, Catholics can find ways to help.

Catholic Charities of Arkansas, she said, is an organization that helps victims of trafficking in the state, which people can support.

"Support organizations that help victims. Collaborate with coalitions and groups that advocate for victims and teach about human trafficking. Hand out brochures. Donate books about human trafficking to the local library, so people can know about it. Buy goods that are not made with slave labor -- fair trade goods are not made with slave labor," she said.

People can also advocate for stronger laws, she said, and be aware of what is going on around them.

"People think it doesn't happen in the United States, and it does. Some people here think it doesn't happen in Arkansas," she said. "Arkansas needs stronger laws. Traffickers are going to go where they have a better chance not to be picked up. People need to know that it exists and if you see something suspicious you should call."

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