From the Journey of Hope to Slavery: The Shattered Dreams of Young Women!
Written by: Elisabetta Nistri
On March 21, 2023, WFWP Italy organized an event at the European Parliament’s office in Rome with the theme, “From the Journey of Hope to Slavery: The Shattered Dreams of Young Women!” The event was organized to commemorate the International Day of Remembrance for the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade.
The President of WFWP Italy, Ms. Elisabetta Nistri, opened her speech with the story of WFWP’s co-founder, Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon’s visit to the island of Gorée off the coast of Senegal in 2018. After concluding a large gathering of leaders at the African Summit in Dakar, Senegal, Dr. Moon visited this island, once a major port in the transatlantic slave trade, gave a deep prayer for the victims of slavery that left for America and many times did not make it. President Nistri had chosen this theme to try to answer the question, “How is it possible that trafficking for sexual exploitation can still occur today in our society, an advanced country of the first world?”
She continued to explain, to achieve the world of peace which we all aspire to, we must act urgently to stop the phenomenon of human trafficking which particularly affects women and girls today. Furthermore, if this business is so thriving and profitable, it is because there is demand. In short, there are those who feed the market. The dignity of these girls is trampled on and suffocated by their captors and by the men who patronize them, but where is the dignity of those people?
For this reason, WFWP has always been committed to prevention and training through courses for boys and girls on the theme, “Discovering the Real Me,” and in particular on the theme of women's dignity, helping young girls and boys to discover their value and dignity often questioned by the media.
The meeting opened with compliments from Dr. Carlo Corazza, head of the European Parliament's office in Italy, who, in addition to thanking WFWP, invited WFWP to work together again at the Brussels Liaison Office. A special message was given also by the Equal Opportunities Advisor from the Municipality of Rome, that the city mayor offered collaboration to stop the trafficking.
The round table was enriched by the precious contribution of the speakers, a judge, a senator, a parliamentarian, a nun who works with girls who want to get out of trafficking, the director of a film on the subject who presented the trailer in the room and the video message of the special representative of Europe for the Sahel, Hon. Emanuela Del Re.
More than 80 people were in the hall and 20 online attended the event and shared their comments as well as their appreciation for the courage to choose such a difficult topic. Most of them were association leaders, representing organizations such as Women in Vatican, Almadjia, journalists, university professors and representatives of various embassies. Thanks to the cooperation of the International Media Association for Peace (IMAP), an association of the Universal Peace Federation, more than 30 articles were published in online magazines as press releases to publicize the event. A nun journalist reported the full speech of the President of WFWP Italy and the report of the event on Vatican websites and on the radio station, Radio Vatican.
