Cardinal Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson, President of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, said “men, women and children live every day in conditions approximating slavery. They are bought and sold like commodities. Their inherent dignity is degraded by unscrupulous criminals who fill their pockets by this trafficking and exploitation”. An international conference on human trafficking was held at the Vatican, with a focus on the Church’s role in the prevention of human trafficking, pastoral care for its victims, and the reintegration of these victims into society. The aim of the discussions was to underline the important contribution which the Church can offer to the international community in fighting this terrible crisis, by way of the billion Catholics around the world. The conference was organized by the Office for Migration Policy of the Catholic Bishop’s Conference of England and Wales, and hosted in the Vatican by the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace.