Pope denounces ‘scourge’ of human trafficking, slavery

VATICAN CITY: Pope Francis urged governments on Sunday to take decisive action against the $150 billion-a-year human trafficking business and the plight of millions of modern-day slaves.

Francis was addressing tens of thousands of people in St. Peter’s Square two days after the Roman Catholic Church marked an annual day of prayer and awareness over human trafficking.

“I appeal, particularly to governments, so that the causes of this scourge are confronted decisively and the victims are protected,” the Argentine pontiff said. An estimated 45.8 million people live in some form of slavery across the world, according to the 2016 Global Slavery Index by human rights group Walk Free Foundation. Migration has become a dominant and highly-politicized issue in Europe, though the peak of more than 1 million asylum seekers arriving in 2015 has tapered off since then.