SSpS USA Province Bulletin April 2016

Holy Spirit Missionary Sisters called by the Spirit • embracing the world PROVINCE BULLETIN

Vol. XLII No. 16—USA–APR 2016

One of the Easter stories relates how the disciples, on that Sunday after the crucifixion, were all gathered together in one place, locked in because of their fear.

And WOW! There is Jesus - standing in their midst!

For the next forty days he appeared with them, eating and walking, fishing and cooking, reassuring them: ”Do not be afraid!”

After those forty days, Jesus leads them together to a place and tells them to be patient: You are my witnesses …

You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes… ” (c.f. LK 24:46-53; Acts 1:8) And, yes, on that blessed day of Pentecost, they were gathered together in one place, then WOW! The room is filled with a mysterious wind, tongues as it were of fire settle over the heads of each! This time, they do not cower in fear. They break forth in songs and prayers of praise—shouting in their own languages and dialects the wonders of God. A crowd gathered at hearing this joyous outburst. The circle of disciples widened. Peter stood in the midst of those mystified by such strange behavior and proclaimed the presence of God is the reason for this merrymaking. EMPOWERED BY THE SPIRIT THEY SHARED THE GOOD NEWS AMONG THE PEOPLE! As we, SSpS everywhere, come, together—all in “one place” through our Pentecost Novena we expect the transforming power of the Spirit to stir us. We pray to be accomplices with this Spirit in proclaiming love and mercy. Widening our circle, speaking in the language of love (care and respect do not need words), we enter into the lives of the people with whom we live and minister. Our stories and their stories become ONE story as we become channels of mercy and reconciliation, of hope and unity in our world so fractured by abuse and misuse, brokenness and exploitation. “Come Holy Spirit,” we cry; “Let us be the good news we proclaim!”

The Spirit rushed in---widened the circle.

Sr. Judith Vallimont, SSpS

Welcome!

Congratulations!

On May 12, Sr. Dominika, Rotua Sinaga will be graduating with an MA in Pastoral Studies from the Catholic Theological Union.

Sr. Skolastika, Glenda, Lorvita, Sr. Edel, Theresa and Sr. Agathe

Our candidates Theresa Kim, Lorvita Ferilus, and Glenda Dacumos received the admission to begin the Pre-Novitiate. Marie Eunide Voltaire, who had begun the pre-Novitiate program in Antigua, will join them. They will start on May 7 at the Convent of the Holy Spirit in Northfield.

Sr. Rosalia Service Galmin arrived on April 3, she will be the Directress for our pre-novices.

On April 19, Sr. Mary Laureen Lahnan arrived from Ghana for her home leave. She will stay in our Province until June 23.

May Birthdays 02 05 11 14 18 18 19 21 22 28 31

Sr. Arnolda Kavanamur Sr. Helen Marie Glenda Dacumos Sr. Dorota Maria Sr. Agathilda Marie Dusheck Sr. Carmen Elisa - CLT Sr. Uloma Akpa Sr. Margaret Anne Sr. Gretta Fernandes Sr. Arnolda Chang

May God's grace and blessings follow you always.

Happy Birthday!

Sr. Arnolda, Roslyn Kavanamur will graduate from Divine Word College, Epworth with a BA in Intercultural Studies on May 13.

Congratulations, Sr. Dominika and Arnolda!

Good News!

The Congregational Leadership Team (CLT) gave a temporary appointment to Sr. Adriana Magdalena Gelawur from the Province of Flores East to the US Paraclete Province for studies. We look forward to having her with us.

The CLT also gave a Mission Mandate to Sr. Aprilia Untarto for the Paraclete Province.

She was appointed Vocation Directress. She and Sr. Edel Deong will work together as a team for Vocation Promotion for our Province.

Sr. Aprilia is currently living in our community in Epworth.

Reminder This year, the retreat at the Convent of the Holy Spirit, Northfield will be held from July 9 to July 15. The theme of the retreat will be Communion with Fr. Pio Creation and will be facilitated by Fr. Pio Estepa, SVD. Please let Sr. Elwira Dziuk know if you intend to participate in this retreat.

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This is the Day that the Lord Has Made!

It took 33 years before I finally had courage to follow my God radically as a religious missionary.

And 10 years later, on the Divine Mercy Sunday 2016, with a joyful heart, I professed my life long commitment as a Holy Spirit Missionary Sister in our Provincial House, Northfield, Illinois.

Through these years I have been molded, shaped and transformed.

This has brought me to be who I am now. I realize that no words can express how grateful I am for this great journey of life.

There are many moments Sr. Aprilia and of awe that have changed Sr. Monica Mabel the way I experience and feel God’s love in my life. Indeed, my life is truly a grace, a gift and a blessing.

It was really a meaningful celebration, especially for me since my father came from Indonesia, my cousin from the Netherlands, my aunt from Canada and my high school best friend also from Canada to celebrate with me and with the

whole community and all my other guests. The Holy Eucharist was led by Fr. Jim Bergin, SVD as the presider and Fr. Ed Peklo, SVD as the homilist, ...

Sr. Aprilia’s relatives Fr. Adam MacDonald as a cantor and Sr. Judy Vallimont as the organist.

This celebration of gratitude for God’s faithfulness in our lives was followed by a dinner reception in the dining room. Thank you to all who have made the celebration special.

To my family, my Sisters and Brothers, friends, relatives – to all of you, who have walked with me, through the ups and downs till now, thank you for touching me in many ways, for teaching me about God’s love, mercy and compassion. I trust that you will accompany me throughout the years to come.

Sr. Aprilia Untarto, SSpS Sr. Aprilia and her father

Holy Spirit Catholic Pre-school

Warm greetings from the students of the Holy Spirit Catholic Pre-School in St. Kitts!

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Intercultural Living in Epworth

Srs. Paula, Carol, Arnolda, Paola and Rebecca

Epworth, a tiny rural town in eastern Iowa with a population of less than 2,000 residents, is the smallest location where our Holy Spirit Missionary Sisters in the USA-Caribbean Province live, work, pray and minister. There is something very special about Epworth: although so small in size and population, its residents come from over 22 different nations. This is because Divine Word College Seminary has made its home there. The SSpS Epworth Community mostly study and work in this college and they themselves are six Sisters of six different Nationalities. We are Sr. Arnolda Kavanamur from Papua New Guinea, Sr. Paula Li from China, Sr. Rebecca David from South Sudan, Sr. Paola Benitez from Argentina, Sr. Aprilia Untarto from Indonesia and Sr. Carol Welp from the USA. Intercultural living is a reality emphasized both in the college and in our community. We make every effort to meaningfully live together by embracing and nourishing our interculturality.

Our community is also a community always in flux, some are finishing their studies and new Sisters are joining the community Sr. Aprilia with her first for studies and English “come and see” visitor Language Learning. Our . from Dubuque

community makes a special effort to integrate what they have received from the Sisters who are leaving and to prepare a place in our hearts and home for the new Sisters coming to the community.

Sr Arnolda will be graduating from the College this year with a B.A in Intercultural studies and then moving on to ministry in Antigua. Through her studies she is constantly enriching our community with emphasis on our General Chapter Motto: “Widening the Circle.”

To do this we need to let go of our small world of cultural biases, prejudices and certitudes and open to a bigger picture of reality which embraces differences as opportunities to grow and broaden our truth and experience of life. In her Senior Capstone research project, she writes: “My interest in the field of multicultural studies is to pursue this objective: to learn how to build harmonious relationships with other cultures, to live interculturally in love as a witness to God’s beauty in the diversity of creation. For me, God’s beauty shines out in the differences of races, cultures, religions and languages. God did not create a superior culture but many unique cultures existing in the world. Any superior attitude creates . barriers to live in truth the culture of love and unity as intended for God’s creation.”

Sr. Carol Welp, SSpS

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Springfield Lobby Day I was very happy to go to Springfield, Illinois for a press conference for the All Kids Health Insurance Act (HB 5736). There were many Representatives who were very supportive of the All Kids bill. They worked very hard on this bill, especially Representative Robyn Gabel and Representative Elizabeth Hernandez. Later in the day we met with several representatives from the Appropriations-Human Services Committee to ask them to support HB 5736.

First, we visited Representative Gregory Harris, Chairperson of the Committee. He strongly supported the bill and when I asked him to co-sponsor the bill, he agreed. We went to other

representatives’ offices, including Rep. Patricia Bellock, Rep. Michelle Mussman, and Rep. La Shawn K. Ford. We tried to reach out to other representatives, but many we were unable to meet. There I left a note asking them to vote for the All Kids Health Insurance Act. On Wednesday, April 13, the bill passed through the committee. It will now have to go through the General Assembly. This was my first trip to Springfield. I am so grateful for the opportunity to go to our state capitol and to discuss current legislation with our representatives.

Sr. Maria Joseph Nguyen, SSpS

My MaZ experience Dear SSpS Sisters all over the world, I want to thank all the Sisters that I have met and made my experience incredible and enriching.

I came to the USA in September 2015 and lived and worked as a MaZ volunteer. We live in Chicago, Rogers Park, a really Hispanic dominated area where the Sisters run a Center that focuses especially on Mexican immigrants. Mainly, we serve mothers and their children. My area of responsibility is child care. Kids of all ages come; all of them grew up bilingual, which I admire a lot. I learn so much from them; they show and explain to me the inside of two cultures, the American and the Mexican. My whole year was about serving the people in need but in fact they helped me to grow. I got to know myself and value the gift of each person in this world.

The Sisters and the parish helped me to grow in my faith. Once a week I also volunteer for “Catholic Charities,” an institution that helps refugee kids. It is mostly homework tutoring and when I see the kids there, who sometimes speak four languages because they had to flee,

then I look back and thank God for every happy day in my own childhood. I ask you to bless each single kid who has to struggle because of immigration. Each single day has given me so much. At first it was hard to fit into this whole new community, although my English was not that bad, I did not speak Spanish, so I decided to take Spanish classes. Step by step together with our clients at the center I learn more and more.

The gift of languages is something so wonderful and when I look back, the internationality that I am experiencing impacts me the most. I see how our world is connected. I see the bad and the good sides. I see the struggles of the immigrants that let me suffer along with them. Here during my MaZ -Year I become a better human being and I want to spread this out to my community at home in Germany. I am filled with joy and a loving heart because I have had the opportunity to look at what is really going on and pay attention to every single human being.

Fabienne Fritzsching MaZ Volunteer

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Learnings from UN Commission on the Status of Women The sixtieth session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW60) at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City concluded on March 24, 2016. Having spent two weeks attending this event, I returned to Chicago with loads of information to process and to apply in my work at the Holy Spirit Life Learning Center (HSLLC).

CSW60 consisted of three main activities: official meetings (with Member States), side events, and parallel events. Side events held on UN premises are organized by Permanent Missions, UN entities, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Parallel events are organized by NGOs and take place outside UN premises. I attended official meetings and events which featured topics that would help me understand better how things get done at the UN, and bring back best practices to apply at the HSLLC and the community we serve.

My first takeaway from this experience is that real change starts at the grass roots level.

While attending some of the official meetings, I noticed that representatives from Member States presented very “beautiful scenarios” of progress made in their countries to address violence against women and promote the empowerment of women. There is no doubt that progress has been made in many parts of the world, but this a result of the various women and men working at the local level, holding those in power accountable for .their…,. decisions. At. a side event.. titled “Young Women in... the Global Economy,”.. one of the..... speakers, a..

Sr. Helen Saldanha, Sr. Angelica Oyarzo Young PakiChavol, Arantxa Martinez, and Fr. Robert Mirsel, SVD at the United Nations Headquarters (NYC).

stani..woman, stated that “real empowerment starts within. you.” If a woman feels that.. strength in her.. inner self, she.. will overcome.. most obstacles that keep her oppressed. At the HSLLC, I see the opportunity to support women, at a grass roots level, in developing the inner strength to achieve real empowerment. The HSLLC, with the support of various volunteers and donors, is able to provide a space for women in the area to come together, to break the isolation, and to grow in their self-esteem. The purpose of the programs offered at the HSLLC is to teach the participants new skills, but at the same time we remind them that others care for them, that they have dignity, that God loves them, that they have the ability to make changes, and to have their voices heard. After CSW60, I feel more encouraged to do my best, to continue to grow in my own personal self-esteem, and to encourage other women. I also thought about the many other ways everyone can advocate for human rights, such as volunteering, holding prayer vigils, participating in rallies, using social media to bring awareness about an issue, and much more.

Another thing that really stood out for me during CSW60 was the role of technology; both as an opportunity to promote gender equality and to prevent violence. against women, and as a tool to perpetuate violence against women. In the side event “Keep the Window Open: New Icelandic Approach to Address Domestic Violence,” (Continued on page 7)

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Learnings from UN Commission (cont.)

one of the presenters stated that “we need to use digital tools to educate young people, we have to talk to young people in their language if we want to make a change.” At a parallel event on human trafficking organized by The Lifeboat Project and the Orange County Corrections Department from Orlando, Florida, there was a lot of discussion about the tactics traffickers use to recruit young girls for sexual exploitation.

One of those tactics is recruiting through social media such as Facebook. The Lifeboat Project in partnership with Engineering and Computer

Simulations developed the gaming app “ACT!” which stands for Awareness Combats Trafficking. The app is designed to educate junior and high school students in recognizing situations that might involve human trafficking. The app is available in Spanish and English, and can be downloaded from the Google Play Store or the Apple App Store. More information may be found at www.lifeboat-act.com/#home.

I thank the Province for providing me the opportunity to attend CSW once again. This experience has certainly exposed me to new perspectives about women’s rights; human rights. I am also grateful to Sr. Helen Saldanha, SSpS and Fr. Robert Mirsel, SVD, co-Executive Directors of VIVAT International for their hospitality and for all their work at the UN on behalf of the marginalized. Lastly, I want to thank the SSpS community in New York for hosting me during CSW60 and making me feel at home.

Arantxa Martinez, M.A.

SSpS At First Glance "To experience candidacy for the Holy Spirit Missionary Sisters is God's gift for it is one of the paths where God is leading me to another journey with Him. Living in a community with the Sisters and other Candidates from different parts of the world opens up my horizon to know the different cultures. Though different we may be in customs, we are united in the presence and Love of God. As a candidate, I’ve learned many ways in sharing my time with the community. There is a time for everything. A time for community prayer, a time for work, a time for recreation, a time for cooking, and a time for Mass. The Sisters, however, and everyone in the community are available whenever there is help asked. I’ve learned to share my time and the value of understanding one another. I’ve learned to be cautious about

creation through recycling things in the proper place. Cooking for everyone is one of the challenges because I seldom cooked before I lived with the community. But I am learning little by little, and I am enjoying it. Above all, everything is a form of prayer to deepen my relationship with God for His presence is among everyone, and His reflection in all His creation. It is important for me to remember His works in everything that I do."

Glenda Dacumos SSpS Candidate

Lorvita ,Sr. Skolastika , Glenda, Sr. Agathe, Theresa and Sr. Edel

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A Reflection on Joining the 36th Annual Good Friday Walk for Justice As a member of the Holy Spirit Missionary Sisters, I am very grateful that Sr. Rose Therese invited some of us to participate in the 36th annual Good Friday Walk for Justice.

From the beginning the mission in our congregation is a call to “make the saving love of the Triune God known to all people” (Const.

102). Over these 125 years, Sisters have gone forth from home and country “empowered by the Spirit, sharing the good news among peoples.” We did this through our service “as women in the areas of Christian charity, education, and spiritual assistance” (Const. 103).

We use the Scripture words chosen for last Chapter—the words Jesus chose to speak of his mission—to describe our understanding of mission: “He has called me to bring good news to the poor;…to proclaim liberty to the captives and give sight to the blind; to set the oppressed free…” Our mission—Jesus’ mission—is working for justice, peace and integrity of creation; working for justice, peace and integrity of

Front row: Sr. Elsa ad Sr. Edel Back row: Sr. Rose Therese, Sr. Skolastika, Sr. Gertrude, Sr. Yina, Sr. Margaretha, Sr. Clara, Glenda, and delegate from SVD

creation is our …. mission. Therefore, I consider that to be prophets who are working for JPIC is the most important work in today's ministry.

Srs. Gertrude and Yina walking for justice

Dr. Martin Luther King indicates that “hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”

The theme of 36the Annual Good Friday Walk for justice was “Be Not Afraid”. I am so grateful that the 8th Day Center for Justice organized it so well. This was my first time joining. It taught me that human beings can use a creative way to be against violence. “Be Not Afraid” is an invitation from Jesus, actually, it is also a promise from Jesus. The 8th Day Center for Justice Staff states that “These words are an active call to meet oppression with solidarity, and despair with hope.” I felt the power of our solidarity when we walked together. When we began the second station, the reader led us to remember those who have been condemned to death by the reprehensible state sanctioned violence. I experienced that we do not only bear witness to these lives, but also had a very strong communion with all the lives around the country and world that had been lost to the violence of police brutality.

I like to use John Shea’s statement to encourage my spirituality. “Christ has no body now but yours, no hands but yours, no feet but yours.

Yours are the eyes through which Christ’s compassion must look out on the world. Yours are the feet with which Jesus goes about doing good. Yours are the hands with which Jesus is to bless us now.”

Sr. Yina Ni, SSpS

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Human Trafficking Conference On Saturday, April 16, I had the honor of joining Sr. Rose Therese Nolta for a conference on human trafficking and immigration given by the Sisters and Brothers of Immigrants and IL Women Religious Against Human Trafficking at Harper College. First, we heard IL Women from a survivor of human trafReligious Against ficking who was brought to Human Trafficking the U.S. from Mexico when he was just 7-years-old. He was a victim of human trafficking for 35 years. The workshop discussed the differences between sex trafficking and labor trafficking, although sex trafficking is a form of labor trafficking. Most people are aware of modern-day slavery but it is time that we really act to end human trafficking. The survivor explained to us that it is important to provide resources after victims escape from their situation, and that recovery does not take place in a year or even three years. It’s a lifelong process toward healing.

Traffickers are looking for women who are vulnerable. They see only the profit behind a person, not the human being itself. And although we might feel powerless to stop modern slavery, the speaker encouraged us to keep our eyes open. If we have a suspicion we should immediately contact the National Human Trafficking Hotline: 1-888-373-7888. Moreover, I want to say to the community that America’s labor rights laws are extremely unclear. For example, if an employer withholds wages from you, it is not a crime. They are simply viewed as owing a debt they have not paid. I was never aware of that, and if we think critically about this, we can see how this further ruins the worker’s life. The last speaker was an immigration attorney that helps her clients obtain a T-Visa, which is a certain type of visa for people who

Fabienne and Sr. Rose Therese with other people at the conference

are or were in a labor trafficking situation. She shared some of her stories and pointed out how difficult but important her job is. Her clients lost their trust in the American law. Often times, victims are afraid of law enforcement.

People who work with trafficking victims, particularly attorneys and case workers, need to move slowly and be patient in order to gain the victim’s trust so that they will open up to them.

We can only imagine what people who are affected by human trafficking must go through.

Let us keep them in our prayers, because they live out there, in a basement, hidden, hurt, controlled. We are all humans and if we work together and think of each other, these people, whose faces we do not know, are not forgotten.

We stay with them and we work for them.

Fabienne Fritzsching MaZ Volunteer ----Visit the following websites to find out more: Illinois Women Religious Against Human Trafficking: https://www.facebook.com/Illinois-WomenReligious-Against-Human-Traffiking179118345759946/ Sisters and Brother of Immigrants: https://www.facebook.com/ sistersandbrothersofimmigrants/

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News Tidbits from the Holy Spirit Life Learning Center For the month of April, Sr. Therese Mary Martinez is our instructor for the knitting/ crocheting circle. This group of four to twelve or more women has been coming every Tuesday morning to create beautiful articles and to enjoy one another’s friendship. Our regular instructor informed us she could not come during April and Sr. Therese Mary graciously accepted the invitation to “fill in.”

Hopefully she will continue to be part of this group even when Hortencia returns.

Because the skills of the participants are so varied, from beginSr. Therese Mary with the ner to quite accomknitting/crocheting circle plished, it is difficult for one person to provide individual help as needed. Also, Sr. Therese Mary gives a pleasant SSpS presence to the group.

This term we are piloting a new program at the HSLLC. Our Homework Help Program, Mondays from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m., is for children of school age wanting assistance with their homework—mainly help in understanding the assignment and/or practice in reading and math. Three SVD novices—Jorge, Ted, and Luis-spearhead this program. The eighteen registered participants range from first grade to high school freshmen. Because of differing dismissal hours at the neighborhood schools, the children come at various times, beginning at 3:00. The last group arrives around 4:00 pm. However, all like

Luis helping the kids with their homework

Sr. Judy with the children

to stay until 5:00! Perhaps it’s because we provide games and supervised play when their homework is finished. Our MaZ volunteer, Fabienne Fritzsching, is excellent at leading in the play activities. We look forward to expanding the program in September to several afternoons a week.

Through Arantxa Martinez, coordinator of our Domestic Violence outreach programs, we are widening our circle as we network with other agencies. The workshops grow out of requests and expressed needs of our clients/students.

Arantxa was speaker for two domestic violence awareness workshops, March 3 on Chicago’s south side and March 29 on the north side. The workshops were sponsored by the Chicago Housing Authority.

We hosted two Mental Health workshops, April 7 in Spanish, April 16 in English, that focused on recognizing the symptoms of “common” mental illnesses (e.g. depression, bipolar, anxiety, …) and on getting help for coping when someone in the family is suffering from a mental health disorder. The workshops were presented by representatives from the National Alliance for Mental Illness (NAMI) Chicago.

Oak Street Health, a new health clinic in Rogers Park, has been scheduled to provide two presentations (March 31 and May 5 in Spanish) on their services. They provide health care primarily for senior citizens on very limited income.

(Continued on page 11)

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Tidbits from the HSLLC (cont.)

We have a Family Law workshop scheduled for May 12 to provide our clients with information on Family Law, particularly in relationship to domestic issues (abuse, divorce, etc.).

The workshop will be presented by the Chicago Legal Clinic that provides low cost (or free) services.

And, yes, we do like to gather simply to celebrate being together. April 1 we had an evening party to celebrate April Fools’ Day. This was an opportunity to learn a bit of the history of this day of fun as well as to have fun with games and refreshments. The children—pre-school through grown-ups-had a good time.

Sr. Judy Vallimont, SSpS

Prayers Sr. Rosa Da Costa’s aunt, Ana De Rosario, died on March 28 in Timor Leste. We pray for the families who mourn for her that God may comfort them in the midst of their pain and grief.

On March 28, Sr. Kristina Jawa Lajar was admitted to the Glenbrook hospital and came home on April 7. She expresses her gratitude for keeping her in your daily payers.

Christopher and Rachel Keeney, our lay volunteers in St. Kitts request our prayers.

Rachel’s Father has cancer and Chris’ grandfather passed away.

“Happy are they who walk consciously, carefully reflecting on the ground covered and courageously pressing on. They gain the necessary strength from their personal experience of God in prayer...”

- Sr. Aloisilde Willeke, SSpS “Life with and for God”

Holy Spirit Missionary Sisters: in the United States and in the Caribbean Northfield, IL Waukegan, IL

Grayslake, IL Chicago, IL

Epworth, IA Memphis, TN New York, NY

Antigua Jamaica St. Kitts

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JPIC Corner — April, 2016 Human Trafficking As A Form of Violence Against Women The days I spent at the United Nations headquarters for the 60th Commission on the Status of Women (CSW60), learning about different issues affecting human rights and gender equality, were enlightening and motivating. The official sessions and side events were instances of inspirational learning. Different organizations and UN committees worked hard in order to cover a broad spectrum of topics regarding modern day slavery in its different forms, including child marriage and female genital mutilation among many other issues affecting human rights, all of them linked to the CSW60’s mainstream, gender equality and women’s empowerment.

Sr. Angelica Oyarzo at the Commission on the Status of Women

Photo courtesy of the United Nations

I knew that I could not be present for every presentation.

For that reason I tried to attend sessions that focused on immigration issues and human trafficking. The speakers were passionate about fighting human trafficking and promoting human dignity. Their speeches really touched our lives because they were able to infiltrate the hearts and minds of the audience. Testimonies and storytelling were powerful tools to raise awareness and to move people to take action.

We normally associate human trafficking with undocumented immigrants, which in many cases is true.

However, human trafficking affects individuals from all ranges of society, women and children being the most vulnerable for sex trade and slavery. There are also other forms of human trafficking such as persons who are trafficked into 'forced' marriages. Others become forced laborers put to work in domestic service, sweat shops, or agricultural plantations. It affects the whole society; from child soldiers in Africa, to adolescent U.S. girls trafficked along highways in North America. Women and children from Thailand, the Philippines, China, Senegal, Brazil, Cuba, Middle East, or European countries, just to name some of them, are being forced into the illegal sex trade or Mali (pictured on right), whose testimony child labor due to outside pressures, lack of education, and as a victim of human trafficking impacted limited employment alternatives.

Sr. Angelica Oyarzo’s life (Sr. Angelica (Continued on next page…)

pictured on left)

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Human Trafficking As A Form of Violence... (continued) The CSW60, besides denouncing and raising awareness about modern day slavery, has encouraged us to promote human dignity, especially for women and girls, by advocating at local and national government levels to implement an agenda that takes into consideration the needs of women and girls. In every session I attended, the discussion came to the conclusion that education is the key factor for eradicating any form of violence against women and girls.

According to the advanced unedited version, CSW60 Agreed Conclusions (24 March 2016), in conclusion number 12, the Commission “recognizes that it is essential to ensure that women are empowered to effectively and meaningfully participate in leadership and decision making processes, that their needs and interests are prioritized in strategies and responses, and that the human rights of women and girls are promoted and protected, in all development efforts, as well as in conflict, humanitarian emergencies and other emergency situations.”

The side event, “The Role of the Arts in Helping to End Human Trafficking” was one of the sessions that gave me an idea of how to get more people involved in fighting against this plague in our society. Art gives us the opportunity to get in touch with stories of victims and their struggles for freedom and dignity.

They can be stories told through drawing, writing or film. For that reason, I want to invite you to watch and share with family and friends some of the films that were mentioned in some of the presentations. They depict trafficking, exploitation, and slavery.

“SOLD” is a film that will be released in Chicago in May 2016. Through one extraordinary girl’s story, SOLD illustrates the brutality of child trafficking, which affects millions of children around the globe every year. Globally, the average age of a trafficked girl is thirteen, the same age as the girl in this film. SOLD is a call to action, and a testament to the power and resilience of the human spirit. (retrieved from: http://www.ungift.org/knowledgehub/media/ films.html) Other movies I would recommend are “The Whistleblower” (2010) and “Not My Life” (2010).

To conclude, I want to express my gratitude to my Congregation, the Holy Spirit Missionary Sisters, and to Vivat International for giving me the opportunity to learn about different issues affecting human rights.

Sr. Angelica Oyarzo, SSpS Picture courtesy of imdb.com

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