Opus Dei has issued a statement in which it “categorically” denies the accusations of human trafficking for which it is the subject of an investigation by the Argentine justice system and which were published exclusively by elDiario.es this Friday.
“Regarding the accusation known in the media in recent hours, referring to the personal situation of a group of women while they were part of the institution, we categorically reject the accusations of human trafficking and of labor exploitation,” the order states.
This newspaper echoes an investigation lasting more than two years, secret and unprecedented, the accusation of which has reached the highest local authorities of the organization over the last 40 years. Since the complaint from dozens of women exploded in the media, the order has repeatedly denied the accusations and attempted to reduce the complainants’ experiences to “bad experiences.”
“We note with sadness and surprise that after initiating the claim for inconsistencies in provisional and work contributions while part of Opus Dei, the accusation – as reported by the media – now refers to a person who claims to be a victim of ‘human trafficking’ and ‘labor exploitation’. The impression is that to construct this complaint, a complete decontextualization is carried out of the training received by some of the women in the group and of the vocation freely. chosen by the auxiliary numeraries of Opus Dei,” affirms Opus Dei in its letter.
The complaint against Opus Dei in Argentina reveals a planned system to recruit and subject girls and adolescents to domestic work without pay or labor rights, based on false educational promises. The women say they faced isolation, punishment and manipulation. Some of them have already reported the events of 2021, the courts have confirmed these abuses in several cases, and this behavior of the order has also been repeated in other countries. Following the complaint filed in Argentina, similar lawsuits emerged in countries including Ireland and Spain.
“Opus Dei has always respected the voice of women, and proof of this is the creation of multiple channels and tools for listening, dialogue and healing to which some women in the group have approached and expressed that “they do not did not share the serious accusations that were made,” adds the organization’s press release.
“We are very sorry that we were not able to achieve the same goal with this other group of women, who were formerly part of Opus Dei. As we have stated repeatedly, our greatest desire is to understand the situations they have experienced and collaborate to help resolve whatever is necessary,” they conclude.
