Sisters in the Fight Against Human Trafficking

The Sisters assisted in organizing a Human Trafficking Conference at locations throughout Erie and Crawford Counties. The conference featured Kevin Bales, Ph.D., who at the time was the world’s leading expert on contemporary slavery and president of Free The Slaves, a non-profit organization working to end slavery worldwide. He also published international ground-breaking research, including the book Disposable People: New Slavery in the Global Economy, which was published in ten languages and became the catalyst for the growing U.S. movement against slavery. The Human Trafficking Conference in Erie was sponsored by a collaboration of the Benedictine Sisters of Erie, the Sisters of St. Joseph of Northwestern Pennsylvania, the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas, Erie Regional Community, Allegheny College; Edinboro University; Gannon University; Mercyhurst College; Penn State Behrend; and Inter-Church Ministries of Erie.