New anti-trafficking hub in London following Vatican conference

A Vatican conference on human trafficking will help establish an international hub in London to help combat the crime, according to the commissioner for the Metropolitan Police.

Writing in The Tablet, Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe, who was in Rome to address the conference this week, says that he wants the hub to share “good practice” in order to prevent trafficking, provide pastoral care for victims and help them to reintegrate in ­society.

He added that the conference, attended by police chiefs from across the world, would “play a key part in developing these plans”.

The new hub will involve the Church, particularly women Religious who are at the forefront of combating trafficking, a crime that affects virtually every country in the world.

The conference, which took place on Wednesday and Thursday at the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, was organised by the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales and chaired by Cardinal Vincent Nichols.

A spokesman for the bishops’ conference said: “The conference brings police chiefs together from across the world for the first time. Bringing them together helps in the formation of this hub.”

On Wednesday the gathering was addressed by the Home Secretary, Theresa May, when she said: “I would particularly like to thank ... Pope Francis for the leadership he has shown on this issue”, and she also thanked Cardinal Nichols and Southwark Auxiliary Bishop Patrick Lynch.

Earlier, in a joint article written with Cardinal Nichols, she said the conference was “a powerful signal by the Vatican that international action is needed to disrupt, convict and imprison the criminal gangs behind much of the modern slave trade”. They wrote: “Close working between the Church, law enforcement and Government in this country is held up as an example of how we can improve the way we target criminals and support victims.”

The article urged businesses to ensure they were not using the victims of human trafficking indirectly. “Businesses must take responsibility for ensuring their suppliers are not involved in trafficking and exploitation,” they said.

Cardinal Nichols and Theresa May paid tribute to the Metropolitan Police’s “ground- breaking” Human Trafficking Unit and anti-slavery charities. The trafficking unit is led by Detective Inspector Kevin Hyland, a Catholic, who has worked closely with the bishops’ conference, and addressed the Vatican conference on Wednesday. The Church in England and Wales has for some years been working with the police in trying to combat the crime and raise awareness, led by Bishop Lynch.   

Police chiefs from countries including Albania, Australia, India, Ghana and the Philippines were present at the conference and on Thursday, together with victims, they were due to be received in a private audience with Pope Francis. The Pope has spoken out against human trafficking, describing it as a “crime against humanity”.
Following the conference, the police chiefs will set up the “Santa Marta Group” – named after the Domus Sanctae Marthae, the Vatican guest house where they were staying and the residence of Pope Francis – in order to continue their work together and increase international collaboration on the issues.

They were also due to sign a “global ­declaration of commitment” to tackle ­trafficking at the end of the gathering.  

The conference also heard from the victims of trafficking along with female Religious who work with them. The latter include Sr Florence Nwaonuma, a sister of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, from Nigeria, and Sr Aurelia Agredano, vice general of the Congregation of Adoratrices, in Spain.