To The Center

For Super Bowl XLVI, even the Sisters have a game plan.

Eleven congregations of nuns will be stationed in Indianapolis this weekend in an attempt to intercept and stop sex-trafficking.

According to USA Today, the nuns have contacted 220 hotels within a 50-mile radius of Indianapolis in order to get their cooperation and assistance in this endeavor.

“We want to share with the traffickers that we are watching,” said Sister Marilyn Nickol, member of the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph Cleveland.

Human trafficking is viewed as modern day slavery. It takes away women’s most valuable human rights, while exploiting their bodies for economic benefit. WKYC.com  reports that the federal government estimates human trafficking to bring in $15 billion every year, while its victims continue to suffer in silence. They need to have a voice.

“We’re here for the most vulnerable in society,” said Sister Nancy Conway of the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph, “If one woman is saved at the Super Bowl, it will all be worth it.”

USA Today also reports that on Monday, Indiana governor Mitch Daniels signed a bill that will place greater punishment on sex traffickers. The bill “makes it a felony to recruit, harbor or transport a child younger than 16 with the intent to engage in prostitution. It also increases the penalty for anyone who sells or transfers custody of a child.”

At least legislation seems to be heading in the right direction.