Africa Regional Declaration

Law enforcement officers, Bishops, religious sisters and international organisations from across Africa gathered in Abuja, Nigeria for the first Africa regional conference of the Santa Marta Group.

The theme of the conference was ‘Church and State working together to restore dignity to trafficked persons’ and set to examine the issue of human trafficking emanating from Africa.

At the conclusion of the conference representatives from the Church signed a declaration to commit to eradicate human trafficking within society. The declaration read:

As representative of the church within the African community, we commit to eradicate the scourge of the serious criminal activity, 'Human Trafficking', which abuses vulnerable people,within the African Society.

This conference is part of a process where we work together within the African zone along with the Santa Marta Group International to look inward within the Africa communities in order to develop strategies in prevention, pastoral care and re-integration, placing the victim at the centre of all we do.

I make a personal commitment to developing partnerships with the Catholic Church, other religious bodies, countries within the Africa continent, civil society, and law enforcement agencies to alleviate the suffering of the victims and to bring to justice those who are responsible for these horrendous crimes.