On 12th September 2021 RENATE (Religious in Europe Networking Against Trafficking and Exploitation) held a Festival of Films about the crimes of Human Trafficking. The festival set out to reveal the plight of trafficked people, tell their stories and reveal the inadequacies of legal systems throughout the world.
The first session was held from 10.00hrs- 15.00hrs at the Royal Society of Arts (RCA), London and was open to the public. The second session was held from 18.00hrs-23.00hrs at the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) at Piccadilly, London. This was by invitation only.
Srs Patricia Byrne and Pat Kenny attended both sessions as members of TRAC (Trafficking Awareness Raising and Campaigning) a group of Religious in the UK and affiliated to RENATE. With COVID-19 restrictions still in place around Europe, the uptake of the invitation was not as good as expected. However, that had little affect on the contributions to discussion during both sessions.
An Art Exhibition greeted us as we arrived at the RCA. This included entries from survivors of HT and members of RENATE. The paintings had very strong messages for all to see.
During the first session nine films were screened in three locations (three in each) with Questions and Answers after each one. These included:-
“Called to give voice to the voiceless” – RENATE
“Made in God’s image” – Slovakia
“L’invisibles” – France
These and other films are now available on RENATE’s website www.renateevents.net/