Location: Berlin, Germany (Central Europe Province)
Helper Involved: Sister Birthe
Role: Social Worker with an Association
Target Group: Women who have been victims of human trafficking and/or forced prostitution
What does this mission involve?
I work as a social worker in Berlin for an association that supports women who have been victims of human trafficking and/or forced prostitution. Most of these women come from West Africa (Nigeria, Guinea, Benin, Cameroon, etc.). Although they are no longer in these situations, they need to be protected and receive different types of help to avoid falling back into exploitative systems: secure housing, legal support for asylum procedures, therapeutic care, medical follow-ups, and more.
What meaning do you give to this mission?
I would like to quote article 16 of our Constitutions: “He came into our world to bring the Good News that God is with us, to save humanity, restore its dignity and enable it to reach its full potential as children of God.”
When I hear the word dignity, I think of the women saying things like: “Why am I alive? It’s not my fault, but I’m useless. My life has no meaning. I was a commodity, they sold me. They tortured me, raped me, they did everything to me. I almost lost my life.”
At first, the women often cry a lot while sharing their stories. They feel as though they’ve lost all their dignity, that they have no value, that their lives have no meaning. Helping to restore their dignity, for me, means listening to them attentively, welcoming their stories, taking their suffering seriously, allowing them to cry without shame, and creating an atmosphere that helps them regain their dignity and value as daughters of God.
Another article from our Constitutions, No. 18, resonates deeply with me: “We believe that love has no boundaries and we are in solidarity with all those who follow Jesus Christ in His Paschal Mystery, whether they are still on earth or have passed through death. We accompany them through prayer, action, and communion in their trials, knowing that God’s transfiguring love is a free gift.”
What especially echoes for me in this article is “accompanying through prayer and communion in trials.” I find joy in entrusting the suffering of these women to God’s hands every evening during communal prayer. As we read a psalm and repeat its verses, I feel that these women are truly present with their pain, their cries, their laments, their desires, and their hopes. The verses from the psalms express so well the anguish and suffering of these individuals. For me, it is often as if they themselves are crying out and pleading to God through these words.
I greatly appreciate the expression “communion in trials” from our Constitutions. How do I experience this communion in trials? For me, it means not running away, but embracing this mission, which is a true challenge, and welcoming their stories marked by extreme and traumatizing violence—even though it affects me too, and sometimes listening to all this weighs heavily on me as well. It is truly about internally assuming, in faith, the commitment to stay by their side and to look deep into their pain, to welcome their suffering.
God’s love is a free gift… In the morning, before a day’s work, I prepare to welcome the women during my personal morning prayer. I stand before God with empty hands, with my limited strength, asking Him to fill these empty hands with His strength, trust, hope, and light.
What is the connection between this mission and your charism?
I would like to refer to Article 19 of our Constitutions: “The acceptance of liberation in Jesus Christ brings about radical transformations and conversions. Hoping for the coming of the Kingdom of God through these painful stages, we are called to reach out to individuals and groups who go through situations of trial and growth.”
This article speaks of the acceptance of liberation in Jesus Christ. I think of all these women who often have a deep relationship with God, whether they are Christian or Muslim. They cry out to God; they seek Him in their suffering, yearning deeply for the liberation from their pain. They desire to live a normal life, to experience happiness, love, relief from their sorrows, and to no longer suffer.
The acceptance of liberation in Jesus Christ also reminds me of the parable of “the forgotten friend” by Mary of Providence: “If one of my friends were in prison, the door tightly closed, and it were in my power to open it for her, yet instead of letting her out, she saw me running after butterflies, having fun, passing indifferently by the door, how much pain would that cause her? Well, this is what the souls in Purgatory suffer when their friends forget them.”
This image speaks to me strongly ever since I began working with women who are victims of human trafficking. Eugénie deeply desired the liberation of suffering souls, freeing them from their dungeons and chains. To engage against human trafficking and for its victims is to undertake a liberating commitment.