As New Jersey prepares for next week's Super Bowl at MetLife Stadium in the Meadowlands, Bishop Mark Beckwith of the Diocese of Newark reflects on the Super Bowl as a hub of human trafficking. Bishop Beckwith also highlights what religious communities are doing in partnership with law enforcement to educate and prevent sexual exploitation:
The New Jersey Coalition Against Human Trafficking has been at work for months to minimize the surprise of human trafficking, by educating the public on a reality that could reach into every North Jersey community.They have trained hundreds of volunteers to place soap, inscribed with emergency phone numbers that offer opportunities for escape, in hotel bathrooms and are alerting hotel staff to the possibility of trafficking in their establishment — and what they might do to respond.
Local police have been partnering with the coalition and with religious communities to shine a light on this life-denying darkness. Many congregations in our diocese have been involved in the training, and our annual diocesan convention this weekend is featuring workshops and presentations on human trafficking.
The Star-Ledger has the full story.
