Josephine Bakhita – Woman of Hope
“If we had no hope in the Lord, what would we do in this world?”
So we are reminded by Saint Josephine Bakhita, Patron Saint of Sudan and Patron Saint of those who are trafficked and enslaved.
Hope is also the theme for the Jubilee year, which we are a present celebrating.
Josephine Bakhita was born around 1869 in Darfur in the village of Olgossa, west of Nyala, the fourth largest city in Sudan. Her family were of the Daju people and her was reasonably prosperous.
Josephine was one of seven children- three sons and four daughters. Hers was a a loving family, and as she says in her autobiography: “I lived a very happy and carefree life, without knowing what suffering was”
When Josephine Bakhita was about nine years old, she was kidnapped near Darfur, Sudan, by Arab slave traders and subsequently was sold into slavery several times.
Josephine, at such a young age, experienced cruelty and much pain and humiliation. She would have witnessed the death of fellow slaves.
Josephine was bought by the Italian vice-consul, Count Callisto Legnani in 1883 in Khartoum. Legnani was kind to Josephine, in stark contrast to her other owners. He did not subject her to the horrors of slavery previously experienced. When Lagnani was returning to Italy two years later, Josephine asked to go with him. He agreed and Josephine travelled with the Count to Venice, Italy and never returned to Sudan. Sadly, there is no further information on what happened to her family which remained behind. It seems there is no information on them.
How many families are in similar situations today when children are trafficked?
The ILO estimates about one million children are in forced labour due to trafficking.
In Venice Josephine was given her freedom and she very quickly embraced Catholicism. She was baptised in 1890. In 1893, Josephine joined the Canossian Sisters of the Daughter’s of Charity and made her vows for life in 1896.
When Josephine died in 1947, hundreds came to her reposing, telling stories of comfort given, advice and kindness, gentleness and deep faith, a faith that led her to seek a better life for herself but also for others in Italy. Very soon Schio, where Josephine died, became a place to visit and pray for her intercession.
The Anti-Slavery Society, established in 1839, abolished the transatlantic slave trade but exploitation is still rife today. It exists in the forms of forced labour, child labour, forced marriage, human trafficking and organ harvesting.
We like to think that such inhuman activities are far removed from our lives and that we are neither impacted nor responsible for any of these happenings.
But this is to deny the reality of today’s world
A cobalt compound is used in the making of Lithium -Ion batteries. Every electronic device contains such batteries -phones, Tablets, PC, Cars. In the DRC, children from 6 years-old spend the entire day in the cobalt mines of Congo, mining cobalt for our phones and other devices.
The demand for cheap food, and cheap clothing, so widely advertised and promoted as desirable, have fuelled the hidden exploitation and abuse of the poor and the migrants. If one does a brief examination of the supply chains – the mark-up in the store, the transport within Ireland, and to our country perhaps from Africa, or South America or beyond, each requiring payment and then the costs in the country of produce, one questions how the goods can be produced and sold at the price on the label.
People will argue that the poor who are exploited in this work would be even poorer without the work. Is that a valid reason for not paying a reasonable wage and charging a more realistic price for the goods?
One asks the question “If I am not paying a sustainable price for the goods who then is paying?”
The International Labour Organisation (ILO) estimates that there are over 26 million people trapped in forced labour and other forms of exploitation. Women and girls are disproportionally targeted in trafficking -71% of those trafficked are women and girls. Men and boys are also trafficked but mainly for the labour market. Women and girls are trafficked especially for sexual exploitation. Sexual trafficking accounts for 77% of women trafficked and 72% of trafficked girls. Traffickers use violence, manipulation and false promises of the life to be had in the new country. Frequently the trafficked find themselves in enormous and unexpected debt. They are alone in a foreign country and are afraid. They may not have the language of the country, they may be uneducated and so unable to read or have been brought up in a country which uses another script. One young woman told me of her fear on arrival in Dublin airport. She was from the East and she could not read the language and so could not decipher where she was.
Trafficked women are subject to physical and mental health issues as a result of the shame in what they do, the isolation, the control they are subjected to, the violation, time after time, of their dignity. If they fail to comply, they will frequently be punished, violently, or threatened that their families will suffer. The women are moved from town to town on a regular basis and their internet profiles made available the phone numbers which can be called.
Recently we have learned of the disturbing trends surrounding human trafficking and commercial sex services which takes place at major sporting events, drawing the traffickers in masses to cater for the increased demand from event attendees.
The pornography industry is a very lucrative market. Women are forced to engage in acts or activities they do not give consent to, they are under duress and have no control over their circumstances. The internet facilitates the exploitation of the women. The internet facilitates the global distribution of this abusive material.
The demand for sexual services and for pornography contributes to the human trafficking industry. There are consequences to everything we do, be it good or ill. We live in a very connected world even if we do not always pay attention to the connections. Trafficking is one of the most lucrative businesses in our 21st century world, second only to the drugs trade. Do we want to contribute to this crime?
Can we restore hope to these victims of such degrading crimes?
How can we restore their hope?
The first step is to become aware of this crime which is hidden in plain sight in our society. We need to inform ourselves about the nexus between sexual exploitation, the pornography industry and exploitation of trafficked people.
Understand the necessity for the supports which survivors need as they find a way to exit this industry, is another aspect of restoration of hope.
In Ireland now, many agencies are working to raise awareness in relation to human trafficking: the Department of Justice; An Garda Síochana; IHREC; the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission; Social Justice Ireland; APT Ireland, (an awareness-raising group which comprises voluntary members of religious congregations in Ireland which was founded 20 years ago to Act to Prevent Trafficking); MECPATHS (Mercy Efforts for Child Protection against Trafficking within the Hospitality and Services sectors), was founded by the Sisters of Mercy. Other groups may be more local, for example Cork Against Human Trafficking (CAHT); Donegal against Human Trafficking and Doras, in Limerick.
In this Jubilee Year which has HOPE as its theme, it is pertinent to ask how is Josephine Bakhita even more relevant? Josephine’s journey is itself a testament of one who endured unimaginable suffering as a slave, but her faith and resilience allowed her to find light even in her most difficult times. Her conversion to Catholicism and her subsequent life as a Religious sister symbolised a radical transformation from darkness to light, from despair to hope.
When Josephine was freed from slavery, she could have chosen a life of comfort and ease. Instead, she chose a life of service and dedication to God whom she loved and who also loved her, embracing the unknown and trusting in a brighter future. This act of faith is a powerful example of how hope can lead us to embrace challenges and seek a better world. And in these times more than ever it seems we need hope.
Josephine’s legacy encourages us to find hope in our own lives, to embrace forgiveness, and to work for a more just and compassionate world.
The 2025 Jubilee year, with its theme of hope, provides a perfect opportunity to celebrate Josephine’s life.
