Syrian Abdalkarim Zahra has seen too much in his 26 years: war, poverty, hunger and flight. From a transit camp in Serbia, he dreams of reaching Germany.
Conflicts, civil strife and economic conditions in the Middle East, Asia and Africa dramatically increased the flow of refugees and economic migrants to Europe in 2015. Many have reached Serbia, where Caritas is providing aid.
At a global level it is time to act. For too long governments have thought that they could solve human mobility with half-hearted measures. It is now time to act, to show solidarity, give protection to those who need it, enhance the efforts for peace and invest in development.
The most vulnerable to slavery conditions are those who, due to poverty, lack of other possibilities or indebtedness, accept irregular work and fall prey to traffickers who severely exploit them and make it impossible for them to leave.
When words of greeting, encouragement, and prayerful solidarity were read out from Pope Francis, strong applause was heard among the six thousand participants in the Opening Session of the International AIDS Society’s 8th Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention
The situation in Greece is getting worse by the day. New migrants know about the economic crisis here, but still they decide to come to Greece as it is their entry point to Europe.
At the International Conference on Financing for Development we need to see a separate strong follow up mechanism that will continue to address the difficult systemic issues in the global economy.
Human trafficking occurs in conflict situations since these situations weaken the government, increase poverty, and leave the vulnerable to fend for themselves.
Caritas was part of an event on the psychological needs of children whose parents had died of Ebola as the virsus swept three West African countries last year. Participants were moved by the words of one young girl.