To mark five years of the CATHII—University at the UN program, the CATHII trio organized a day for reviewing, as well as, looking at prospectives regarding human trafficking. The event, held in Montreal on April 5, was divided into two parts.

The first part gave an overview of the training about human trafficking and the participation of some fifteen young people at the UN.

Relevant knowledge

Divided into three groups, the students each in turn, during ten-minute period, addressed three key questions as they shared their learning.

On the question about human trafficking, the young people highlighted the lack of studies regarding the trafficking of males and the exploitation of migrants, particularly due to the imposition of closed permits for agricultural workers.

The over-representation of racialized and aboriginal people, and the vulnerability of members of the LGBTQ community, are among the elements identified in the second question. The students were asked to identify their findings following their participation in the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW69) in hybrid mode, part online and part onsite in New York.

They also mentioned the lack of available services, the systemic nature of the phenomenon, which spares no society, and the need to give survivors a greater role.

When asked what they had learned that they could use in their future careers, the students stressed the importance of taking action by carrying out micro actions to bring about change. They also expressed their desire for changes to current structures (legal, administrative, political, etc.).

Interestingly, one of the participants clearly defined preventive action, stressing the importance of “spotting obstacles” and finding the right resources.   Another participant, referring to the administrative sector, pointed out the need to raise awareness by placing posters in all areas, even in the washrooms of office buildings.

The late-morning wrap-up also revealed a better understanding of the signs of sexual exploitation and forced labor. It was also agreed that the real experts on human trafficking are the survivors themselves.

Launched during the pandemic, the CATHII—University at the UN program is celebrating its fifth anniversary. To mark this anniversary, participants enjoyed sharing a cake.

Discovering the Realities of Intervention

The Comité d’action contre la traite humaine interne et internationale (CATHII) (Action Committee against internal and international human trafficking) is renowned for its advocacy and training work. To mark the program’s fifth anniversary and the attendance of 74 academic students from a dozen faculties, the organizing trio added another feature ‘intervention’ to the plan for the day.

Maria Paredes (community organizer at CLES), Jasmin de la Calzada (PINAY) virtually, Susana Ponte (CTTI Women’s Committee) and Jenny Charest, former director of CAVAC made up the panel to discuss realities in the field.

This took the form of a panel featuring four people directly involved in the field.

The panelists shared their experiences and explained the nature of their work. They also discussed the need for greater collaboration among all those intervening in this area in order to improve their effectiveness.

Beyond the moral obligation, all feel the need to leave no victim without support. Given the relatively modest resources available to these organizations, it was easy for the audience to appreciate the scale of the challenge.

The diversity of the presentations enabled the young people present to gain a better understanding of the various realities in the community and the importance of their new knowledge.  Let it be noted that the members of the trio are:  Ms Kavitha Culam, Ms Élodie Ekobena and Sr. Lise Gagnon, snjm.

The photo gallery illustrates a few moments from this successful day.

The exchange-gathering between the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary (SNJM) and the volunteers was a very rich experience. The meeting, held at Maison Jésus-Marie (MJM) had been organized by SNJM partner Héloïse Vincent-Ozell, as a closing event of the exhibition highlighting a dozen aboriginal women.

Héloïse Vincent-Ozell and Sr. Lise Gagnon.

It also provided an opportunity for Yvonne Demers, a nurse and volunteer collaborator, to talk about her experience during an immersive trip to an aboriginal community. This presentation, in addition to the brief tour of the exhibition, served to spark the subsequent discussion.

The SNJM volunteers contributed by sharing their own mission experiences. Some shared anecdotes from their first contacts with aboriginal communities, so as to fully appreciate their age-old wisdom.

Awakening and revealing…

A number of participants expressed their appreciation for the richness of the sharing. Remarkably, during the following days, both at lunchtime and break times, discussions and conversations took place regarding this experience. The Sisters shared their childhood memories. Some were happy, others more difficult.

One recalled how her father used to take the children to the reserve at Kahnawake to obtain remedies to heal them. Another confided that her father had witnessed the sending of native children to residential schools.

“This moment of sharing makes us aware of all the suffering experienced by the members of these communities,” stressed one Sister, supported by the other Sisters at the table.

Some 25 people attended the meeting.

This activity had the merit of raising awareness, revealing facts and anecdotes that gave another dimension to the prevailing discourse, and ultimately leading to a better understanding of the diverse realities of aboriginal peoples. This event was hosted by Héloïse Vincent-Ozell, a partner member of the SNJM Québec Justice and Peace Committee, responsible for migrant and aboriginal issues.

The volunteers presence coincided with their semi-annual get-together. These women, who had been missionaries at another time in their lives, have been meeting, twice a year, since 2006, to deepen their understanding of various themes and to nurture their spiritual reflection.

Following in the footsteps of their foundress, Blessed Marie-Rose Durocher, the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary (SNJM) have displayed and continue today to demonstrate their determination to contribute to making our world more just and more united.

Whether throughout their mission of teaching, social action or through numerous tasks related to community life, these Sisters were committed until their final breath.

In reference to the quote from Jean D’Ormesson, we pay tribute today to the dozen Sisters who left us in 2024.

“There is something stronger than death,

it is the presence of the absent in the memory of the living.”

To prevent time from erasing the memory of these women’s committed journeys, we invite you to consult the “In Memory” section which briefly presents a few key elements of their lives.

As part of Canada’s Universal Periodic Review, a process led by the United Nations, several recommendations were made to Canada concerning human trafficking. These are presented in an interesting article in the latest edition of the newsletter (in French only) of the Comité d’action contre la traite humaine interne et internationale (CATHII) — (Action Committee against internal and international human trafficking).

Another article reports on Canada’s presentation of its 10th report on the implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) to human rights bodies in Geneva. This document lists the ways in which federal, provincial and territorial authorities are implementing the Convention. It also unveils the UN committee’s recommendations, including “better coordination between organizations and attention to aboriginal women.”

The CATHII newsletter features a time capsule, marking the 20th anniversary of this organization founded by Religious Congregations of women in Quebec. Recent activities include the February 8 Mass in honor of Saint Josephine Bakhita, and participation in the Alliance to End Human Trafficking (AEHT) conference on human trafficking prevention in Baltimore. This event provided an opportunity to learn more about the many aspects of human trafficking and to strengthen ties with our network of partners.

The subject of temporary workers was tackled from a different angle, this time looking at the 509% increase in the number of staffing companies between 2020 and 2025. Options such as reducing the number of such agencies and imposing control measures to enforce the rights of migrant workers were alluded to.

The Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary (SNJM) recently endorsed the collective letter prepared by the Sauvons le Mont-Carmel committee, calling on the Quebec government to intervene in the current renoviction crisis, which is particularly affecting private residences for the elderly (RPAs).

This collective letter underscores the urgency and power of government action. The letter mentions the struggle waged by Mont-Carmel residents during the past three years, and the victories they have achieved through the legal system. In particular, the most recent one whereby the owner’s company was sanctioned to pay over $200,000 in contempt of court fines (see note below).

The Committee received a great deal of support throughout its legal battles.

The few victories achieved throughout the years, do not erase the difficulties experienced on a daily basis by residents at Mont-Carmel and many other RPAs in Quebec, particularly in terms of safety.

It is against this backdrop that the signatories of the collective letter are calling for decisive action in favor of the elderly. “It’s high time your government used its power of intervention to put an end to the denial of rights to seniors living in RPAs.”

The claims aim to:

• Implement obligations linked to RPP certification
• Facilitate the appropriation and community or public management of any RPA liable to closure or in default of its obligations.
• Support the City of Montreal’s ongoing efforts to use its right of pre-emption to remove the Mont-Carmel residence from the private market. Whatever the current political and economic conditions, the signatories of this collective letter insist on the need for government intervention in Quebec to adequately address the housing rights of seniors. At the same time, they emphasize that the solidarity movement around the core group of Mont-Carmel residents “is not about to give up!”

As part of its 20 th anniversary, the Comité d’action contre la traite humaine interne et internationale (CATHII) — (Action Committee against internal and international human trafficking) organized a celebration on February 8, in tribute to Saint Bakhita, at Saint-Bonaventure’s parish in Montreal’s east end.

Sr. Lise Gagnon, snjm and Sr. IsaBelle Couillard, sgm, two CATHII members can be seen.

A large number of people attended the ceremony, presided over by Father Roland Laneuville, of the Missions étrangères (Foreign Missions) and Fr. Pierre Bergeron, who replaced the parish priest on sick leave. A choir sang songs composed, for the occasion, by Madame Renaude Grégoire, Rhama Desjarlais and IsaBelle Couillard, sgm.

The Mass, which had been videotaped, is available on the Internet. A word of caution, however. The sound is only operational from the ninth minute of the recording, during the entrance hymn. The celebrant can be heard very well, but the sound of the choir is not very audible. Fortunately, the words of the hymns are displayed in a box on the right-hand side of the screen.