The women of Myanmar are focused on saving young girls and women from human trafficking says Cardinal Maung Bo of Yangon. The Cardinal says that large numbers of women and girls are being trafficking into China and Thailand. He further says that China’s one-child policy has led to a shortage of women and girls in that country.
From Catholic News Agency:
Women in Burma are working to end human trafficking, Cardinal Charles Maung Bo of Yangon said Tuesday. The cardinal called the issue a big problem for the country and one which shifts focus from other conversations on women at the synod on young people, faith, and vocations.
Burma is also known as Myanmar, a name which the U.S. government and many pro-democracy activists oppose, because they say it was illegally imposed on the country by its military dictatorship.
“The situation of the young people here in Europe and in Asia is quite different. In Myanmar, the women, with the help of some religious congregations and the Church, are focusing especially on how to save the young girls and women from human trafficking,” Bo said during a press conference Oct. 23.
The Burmese cardinal said that his homeland sees high levels of human trafficking into Thailand and China, and that China’s “one child policy” had created a demand for the illegal trade in women and girls.
In addition to highlighting the “practical level” aid the Church was working to provide to at-risk women, Bo also noted other serious issues faced by young people in his country like poverty, drug use, and a lack of education.
At the same press conference, Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle of Manila said he had noticed the synod assembly has been “especially sensitive to listening to the feminine voice.” His comments came in response to a question about the extent to which women were allowed to participate in the synodal sessions, running from Oct. 3-28.
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