According to the main religions, man is made in the image of God and cannot be compared to an object. The dignity of each person and the equality of all human beings is established. The human person is a subject of universal rights, inalienable from birth.
Religions tell us that man and woman are different, but that they are both created in the image of God and therefore equal. They recognize the eminent dignity of women. Sexuality is perceived as the encounter between man and woman, but violence can transform one of them into a kind of slave, reducing him to a simple object of pleasure and not respecting his condition as a human being.
Catholics, Protestants, Orthodox, Muslims, Jews, Hindus, etc., must invite their communities to mobilize against these crimes.
In all faith traditions, shared values inspire religious communities to promote peace and end exploitation. In December 2014, key faith leaders met for the first time at the Vatican and signed a Manifesto against Human Trafficking.
They all united in a great interfaith fight against these crimes and pledged to engage their communities in the eradication of modern slavery.
“Together, in honor of our faith traditions, we recognize that trafficking and modern slavery violate the fundamental belief that all people are equal and deserve the same freedom, respect and dignity. In solidarity with victims and survivors, we are committed to inspiring spiritual and practical action by all the world’s religions to end abuse, exploitation and trafficking everywhere.”
Interfaith Declaration, Rome, December 2014.