Leader, follower of Christ and advocate for all humans. All of these describe Humility of Mary Sister Anne Victory, a 2024 laureate of the International Union of Superiors General’s Sisters Anti-Trafficking Awards. While Sister Anne was called to serve as a pillar in the fight against human trafficking over two decades ago, she began her career serving others in the healthcare field.
Fifty-five years ago, Sister Anne began working as a staff nurse at Mercy Health Lorain. She held several positions, all of which illustrate her desire to help others heal and thrive: clinician, educator, administrator, director of staff education and vice president of missions. “Human trafficking wasn’t even on my radar,” she explained.
Sister Anne first learned of the term “human trafficking” during a 2006 Mercy Health Lorain seminar on immigration. “We hadn’t heard that term before, and when we heard what it was, we were horrified it was happening anywhere in the world, especially here.”
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, Human trafficking is defined as “The unlawful act of transporting or coercing people in order to benefit from their work or service, typically in the form of forced labor or sexual exploitation. “
Feeling a call to learn more about human trafficking and how to prevent it, Sister Anne and her healthcare colleagues continued to meet after the seminar. It was through these meetings that they realized that networking and connectivity within the community is key to fighting human trafficking, a concept Sister Anne defines as “community solidarity.”
In 2007, her concept of community solidarity started to come to life as she co-founded the Collaborative to End Human Trafficking. This Northeast Ohio collaboration is made up of local businesses, nonprofits, groups and individuals who share Sister Anne’s vision of a world without human trafficking. Its central mission is to “lead, empower and connect our community to eradicate human trafficking” by spreading awareness throughout Northeast Ohio.
The collaborative has more than 60 members and is the foundation of a program known as the Greater Cleveland Coordinated Response to Human Trafficking. The success of this organization was just the beginning for Sister Anne. She continued her fight, and in 2013, became one of 15 sisters who formed the former U.S. Catholic Sisters Against Human Trafficking.The organization is now known as the Alliance To End Human Trafficking.
The Alliance to End Human Trafficking is a faith-based national organization that offers education, survivor support services and tools to advocate for the eradication of human trafficking. The member network is made up of over 200 congregations of Catholic clergy, sisters and others who are driven to spread awareness of the issue throughout their communities. It is also a member of Talitha Kum, the International Network of Consecrated Life Against Human Trafficking in Persons. Talitha Kum is a Catholic organization located in Rome, and it coordinates anti-trafficking efforts of religious sisters.
Sister Anne’s faith has allowed her to become a pillar in the fight. “For me, this is a Gospel mandate. This is part of Catholic social teaching. Human trafficking is a great violation of the dignity of the human person.”
Sister Anne also keeps Saint Josephine Bakhita, the patron saint of human trafficking, in the forefront of her mind as she continues her fight. “She is from Sudan and was trafficked as a child. She was sold to a family who trafficked her in Italy, and eventually she escaped.” Sister Anne and her colleagues celebrate Saint Bakhita’s feast day annually on February 8.
Yet the challenge Sister Anne still faces is a continued lack of awareness. “People know more than they did in 2007 at the inception of Collaborative to End Human Trafficking, but a lot of people don’t believe it happens, or if it does, it doesn’t happen in our country.” She also noted that some communities reject that human trafficking is happening in their area, but she has seen it many times. “I have met people who have been trafficked—U.S. citizens. I believe, a long time ago when I was doing clinical practice, I was caring for patients being trafficked, but we didn’t have the words for it.”
She acknowledged the difficulty of discussing human trafficking. Despite this, she urges parishioners, clergy, school systems, business owners and individuals to understand human trafficking and spread as much awareness as they can, especially among school-aged children. “Kids need to know about human trafficking, because they are the ones who are so vulnerable. The education system will benefit from information on human trafficking.
January is Human Trafficking Prevention Month, and Sister Anne explained that one of the ways to spread awareness is to use community resources, including the ones she created alongside the Collaborative to End Human Trafficking. “Schedule a presentation to raise awareness and listen to survivors speak out about their experiences. Take part in parish opportunities to learn about human trafficking, and network with other groups who are trying to establish safe places and help others regain their lives after being trafficked.”
She mentioned that two of the most profound needs of trafficking victims are safe housing and employment, and she stressed that business leaders and shelter organizations should get involved to help victims obtain a safe place to live and work.
The Collaborative on Human Trafficking and the Alliance To End Human Trafficking offer resources for communities to become well-informed about human trafficking and begin identifying and helping trafficked victims. As of August 2024, Ohio now has a human trafficking hotline that can be reached at 844-END-OHHT.
Sister Anne plans to continue her fight to eradicate human trafficking, and she stressed once more the importance of community involvement and engagement: “Ending human trafficking is everyone’s business as members of the human family.”
