St. Francis of Assisi Showing Film on Human Trafficking

TRIANGLE, Va. – On Saturday, August 17, 2013, St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in Triangle, Va., will present a free screening of Not My Life, the internationally acclaimed documentary film that depicts the horrifying and dangerous practices of human trafficking and modern slavery on a global, national, and local scale. The film is by Robert Bilheimer, and narrated by Glenn Close, both Academy Award nominees. The showing will take place at 6:30 p.m. in the parish’s Dining Hall.

In addition to the screening, representatives from Polaris Project and ACTS SAVAS will be in attendance. Polaris Project is a leader in the global fight against human trafficking – and the organization that operates the National Human Trafficking Resource Center hotline 1-888-373-7888. ACTS SAVAS is the only sexual assault crisis center serving Prince William County and the cities of Manassas and Manassas Park.

“Following our awareness presentations last May, this screening is the next step in our commitment to bringing continued awareness, action and advocacy around the issue of human trafficking,” said Fr. Kevin Downey, O.F.M., pastor of St. Francis of Assisi Parish. “But this event is about more than just viewing a powerful documentary, because after it’s over, our guests from Polaris Project and ACTS SAVAS will provide us with ways that we can immediately take action.”

The United Nations defines human trafficking as the “recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring or receipt of persons, by means of the threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation. Exploitation shall include, at a minimum, the exploitation of the prostitution of others or other forms of sexual exploitation, forced labor or services, slavery or practices similar to slavery, servitude or the removal of organs.”

Statistics show that more than 27 million people in more than 161 countries are victims of human trafficking. Two hundred thousand of these are in the United States alone. Fifty percent of victims are children. Every two minutes, 14 people fall victim to this crime. Sex trafficking and forced labor are the most common forms of trafficking in the United States. Prince William County, Fairfax and Loudon are among Northern Virginia counties that have or are establishing Anti-Human Trafficking Alliances or Task Forces.

The event is sponsored by the parish’s Human Trafficking Committee and Franciscan Action and Advocacy Council.

For more information on Worldwide Documentaries’ Not My Life, visit notmylife.org.

St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church is part of the Diocese of Arlington and was established in 1957. For more information, contact the parish office at 703-221-4044.