Mercedarians Spotlight the New Slaveries

ROME, NOV. 20, 2006 (Zenit.org).- Slavery is not a thing of the past, but rather a scourge that continues to exist, even in developed countries, was the message of a conference in Rome.

Earlier this month the Mercedarian Family held its first international congress on the theme "The Slaveries of the Third Millennium and the Mercedarians' Response."

The Order of Our Lady of Mercy was founded in 1218 by St. Peter Nolasco in Barcelona, Spain, following an apparition of the Blessed Virgin. The Mercedarian Family, born with the fundamental task to liberate Christian slaves from the Muslims, has generated a series of institutes inspired by the charism.

The purpose of the congress Nov. 10 was to demonstrate that "slavery is not a monstrosity of the past from which we have definitively liberated ourselves, but something that continues to exist throughout the world, including in developed countries such as France, the United States and Italy," the organizers said in a statement.

According to the Mercedarians, "added to traditional slavery and the slave trade, is the sale of children, prostitution and child pornography, the exploitation of child labor, sexual mutilation of girls, the use of minors in armed conflicts, slavery caused by debt, the trafficking of people and the sale of human organs, exploitation of prostitution, and certain practices of colonial and 'apartheid' regimes."

Human organs

The congress paid much attention to the trafficking of organs.

Father Dámaso Masabo, procurator general of the order, said: "The sale of organs in China is a very lucrative market -- $62,000 will buy two kidneys, $15,000 two lungs, and $30,000 a cornea."

"Also in Asia, in Pakistan, more than 6,500 kidneys are sold a year," he added. "According to the data gathered, in 2005 more than 1,000 corneas were exported to different countries around the world.

"Recent investigations in the European Union have shed new light on the market price: The sellers -- the majority Moldovans or Bulgarians -- sell a kidney for €1,900 to €3,800 [$2,400 to $4,800]. The buyers have them implanted in Istanbul for €100,000 to €180,000."

The Mercedarians' procurator general then gave some figures related to the trade and exploitation of the new slaves.

"More than 270 million people live subjugated at present in the world, a figure that exceeds the 11.698 million deported [and] captured in Africa between 1450 and 1900," he said. "An additional 200 million children are exploited. There are more than 50 million in Asia alone."

Father Masabo also spoke about the scourge of prostitution.

"At present it is estimated that there are between 50,000-70,000 women from East Africa, Latin America and Eastern Europe, who live and work on the streets of Italian cities, or in night spots," the priest said. "Of these, 30% to 40% are minors, between 14 and 18 years old."

The Mercedarian Family understands by situations of slavery "any person exposed to a state of vulnerability through physical or moral pressure, having the obligation to work without being remunerated, in a context of privation of freedom and contrary to human dignity."