“An Open Wound in the Body…”

Ecumenical organizations have long agreed that human trafficking and modern slavery are consequences of human sin that, in the words of Pope Francis, have left “an open wound in the body of Christ and in all humanity.” While the ecumenical consensus against human trafficking and other forms of modern slavery remains strong, the discourse lacks clear definitions and, thus, focused engagement. To enrich ecumenical reflection on these phenomena, the prevailing discourse could be reframed through the contextualized, case-based, and comparative lens of asymmetrical dependency theory. Consequently, this article surveys recent ecumenical pronouncements, clarifies relevant legal and definitional considerations, and asks whether it is time to take a “dependency turn” in ecumenical discourse on human trafficking and other forms of modern slavery.