OTTAWA (CNS) -- Members of the Canadian bishops' justice and peace commission have called for prayers for victims of human trafficking, noting that they expect it to be a problem at the Feb. 12-28 Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia.

A pastoral letter issued Jan. 26 said major sporting events often see "systems put in place to satisfy the demand for paid sex."

"As pastors of the Catholic Church in Canada, we denounce human trafficking in all its forms, whether it is intended for forced labor (domestic, farm or factory work) or for sexual exploitation (whether it be prostitution, pornography, forced marriages, strip clubs, or other)," the bishops wrote. "We invite the faithful to become aware of this violation of human rights and the trivialization of concerns about prostitution."

The bishops urged Catholics to become aware of human trafficking, so "we can share in the suffering of the victims and change the behaviors and mentalities that foster institutionalized violence in this new form of slavery."

Prostitution is illegal in Canada. However, the bishops said, trafficking does occur, and "we need to recognize it, talk about it with others, and take action in our communities to stop it."

Pointing out that the demand for sexual services fuels human trafficking, the bishops asked how a majority-Christian country like Canada could tolerate this form of "institutionalized violence that destroys the physical, psychological and spiritual integrity of other human beings."

The scale of human trafficking is "alarming," they wrote, citing International Labor Organization estimates of 2.4 million victims of trafficking, including 1.3 million caught up in sexual exploitation, worldwide.

The bishops also pointed out that according to the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime, 79 percent of trafficking victims -- mostly women and children -- are used for the sex trade.

"This area of organized crime brings in billions of dollars for pimps and for owners of strip clubs, massage parlors, and legal and illegal brothels," the bishops wrote. "This figure does not include taxes paid to governments that often turn a blind eye to this activity."

The bishops put human trafficking in the context of economic globalization and the increasing gap between rich and poor countries, noting that "impoverished populations of the South and the East remain vulnerable to trafficking."

"When hunger threatens their family's lives, people are more likely to believe the promises of unscrupulous smugglers or to succumb to the attraction of earning money through sexual tourism," the bishops said. "Today, the speed of Internet and cell phone communication makes it easy to recruit people, who may find themselves in another country just a few hours later.

"Often, they cannot speak the language, their passport has been taken from them, and they are at the mercy of pimps who demand to be reimbursed for the victim's transportation costs," they said. "Women and children, usually under the influence of drugs, must then engage in prostitution under the vigilant eye of pimps who pocket the profits. If the victims try to run away or stand up for their rights, the pimps threaten to kill them or members of their families back home."

The bishops highlighted the plight of Canadian aboriginal women and girls who "disappear from their villages and are never seen again." They wrote that young immigrants to Canada often get caught up in the "living hell" of work in street prostitution, massage parlors or escort services.

"To help women break free of prostitution, as they are generally the victims, we must provide concrete assistance, including health care, psychological counseling, detoxification programs, safe housing, decent employment and spiritual support," the bishops wrote.

The bishops urge Canadian Catholics to support organizations that work with victims of human trafficking and to urge the government to create programs to help them. The Canadian Religious Conference and the Catholic Women's League have been fighting trafficking and prostitution.

During the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany, where prostitution is legal, officials estimated an additional 40,000 women were engaged in prostitution. Before the World Cup began Polish nuns, anticipating an increase in human trafficking, issued anti-prostitution leaflets in multiple languages for circulation during the competition.

Copyright © 2010 Catholic News Service/U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops