Cardinal, State Department official discuss plight of women migrants

May 25, 2012

The United States Embassy to the Holy See has sponsored a panel discussion on the plight of women migrants. Participants in the May 24 event included Cardinal Antonio Maria Vegliò, president of the Pontifical Council for Migrants and Itinerant People, and Farah Pandith, the US State Department’s special representative to Muslim communities.

“Most conflicts nowadays are civil wars, in which civilians are accounting for more than 80% of deaths,” said Cardinal Vegliò. “At present 43 million people fled their homes because of war or human rights violations, of which 80% are women, children and young people …. ape has been used strategically, as a weapon of war in attempts to destroy the opposing culture, leading to ‘ethnic cleansing’, and to control the territory.”

Turning to the topic of human trafficking, he continued:

Preventive measures are made up of the implementation of anti-trafficking laws, the adoption of labor laws and the regulation of employment conditions, and consequently their enforcement. A special responsibility rests with the consumer who should be aware of conditions under which products are cultivated or manufactured. The introduction of trade labels and codes of conduct could strengthen decent labor conditions.

 

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Further information:

• US Embassy Migrant Meeting: Listen to women (Vatican Radio)
• Women and Migration: U.S. Embassy sponsors discussion (Vatican Radio)
• Increasingly on their own, women migrants face special dangers (CNS)