BEING THE CHANGE:
Ho
us
to
nd
wi
Working to End
Ph
ot
os
HUMAN
TRAFFICKING
by Associate Dan Abben
Catholic Conference of Illinois
In his 2015 World Peace Day Message,
Pope Francis said that the exploitation
of others is a “scourge upon the body of
Christ.”1 Two BVM sisters, Marilyn Wilson
(Claudia Mary) and Rose Mary Meyer
(Sebastian), have being working to end
the scourge of human trafficking for
many years.
Education Key
in Raising Awareness
Marilyn learned of this issue when
working in the BVM Women’s Office. She
interacted with sisters from congregations,
especially the Sisters of the Divine Savior
(Salvatorians), who were engaged in antihuman trafficking efforts in Watsonville,
Calif. She is part of the Leadership Committee of the Catholic Network to End
Human Trafficking I (for the dioceses of
San Jose and Monterey in California),
which is working in a collaborative effort
with the South Bay Coalition to End
Human Trafficking. Together they are part
of a Super Bowl 2016 committee, joining
forces with local representatives to raise
awareness of human trafficking during
major sporting events.
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S A L T MAGAZINE
BVM Rose Mary Meyer is interviewed on the Catholic Conference
of Illinois radio show about human trafficking and efforts made to
change Illinois law to protect minors. Right: BVM Marilyn Wilson
shares information at the Catholic Network to End Human Trafficking Conference.
In 2012, California passed a law
requiring certain types of businesses to
post information about trafficking. After
the law was enacted, Marilyn was part of
a group that visited businesses to explain
the law and to make sure that the required
information had been posted.