Powerhouse sister network launches five-year plan to combat trafficking

One of the world's leading anti-human trafficking groups has set out its priorities for the next five years, which will include a new push for systemic change to eradicate modern slavery, a commitment to a survivor-centered approach to supporting victims of trafficking and an expansion of global partnerships.

The new priorities were defined in a final declaration following the second general assembly of Talitha Kum, an international network of nuns against human trafficking. More than 150 delegates from 71 countries gathered May 18-24 outside Rome to discuss their collaboration under the theme “Journeying Together to End Human Trafficking: Compassion in Action for Transformation.” .

Saint Paul's daughter, Sister Bernadette Reis, who served as moderator of the final plenary session on May 22, hailed Talitha Kum as a “powerhouse” in global efforts to eradicate human trafficking.

“You can find nuns wherever there is a void in society,” Reis said. “Wherever there is infection in society, we are the antibiotics.”

Her words were met with applause and she presented the final declaration, which will guide the network's work over the next five years.

Among the commitments included in the declaration:

• Adopt effective strategies to reduce the demand for human trafficking, including through education of boys and men and advocacy for regular migration pathways.
• Advocate for the prosecution of traffickers and for effective policy and legal changes for populations at risk, including migrants, refugees and displaced people.
• Address the push and pull factors of migration and displacement, advocating for the protection and integration of people on the move.
• Expose the risks of online traffic and social media by raising awareness among young people and their families and promoting cybersecurity. …
• Promote safe and secure spaces/shelters, survivor peer support and survivor-led initiatives.

• Create spaces for non-judgmental listening, telephone helplines and reporting on mobile applications.
• Connecting survivors to education, health services, skills development, housing, legal aid and employment opportunities.
• Provide psychosocial support and spiritual accompaniment to survivors, as well as psychological and legal support and training in [Talitha Kum] members and partners. …
• Defend equality between women and men and respect for human rights. …
• Addressing the impact of climate change and mitigating its underlying causes.

During the week-long meeting, participants heard presentations on the impact of climate change and conflict, personal testimonies from survivors of human trafficking, reports on push and pull factors migration and sharing best practices between anti-trafficking networks.

The structure of the general assembly used the same methodological framework as the Vatican synod on synodality, which relies on roundtable “conversations in the Spirit” to allow each member to express their own hopes and concerns .

Following the plenary, many delegates gathered in Rome on the evening of May 23 for the second annual Sisters Anti-Trafficking Awards. The awards ceremony highlighted the work of three sisters as representatives of their congregations and networks who have “demonstrated exceptional courage, creativity, collaboration and success in protecting of their communities against human trafficking.

The 2024 winners included:

• Canossian, Daughter of Charity, Sr. Grasy Rodrigues received the Common Good Award for her work in Goa, India, in children's education and the fight against child labor;
• Sister Anne Victory, who serves on the leadership team of the Sisters of the Humility of Mary and is a well-known anti-trafficking speaker and advocate in the United States, received the Servant Leadership Award;
• Good Shepherd Sister Marie Claude Naddaf of Lebanon, who helped open a phone line for an emergency shelter for women in Syria, was honored with the Human Dignity Award.

Our Lady of the Apostles Sister Mary Barron, who is president of the International Union of Superiors General (UISG), said the awards – which are presented by UISG, the Arise Foundation and the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation ( which also funds Global Sisters) Report) — are an opportunity to highlight the work of those who “transcend borders for the common good”.

Xaviere Sister Nathalie Becquart, who is second in charge of the Vatican synodal office and who delivered the opening speech of the evening, praised the work of the nuns, saying that Talitha Kum “has much to share with the Church at a broader scale. “.

You are “prophets of hope in a world which greatly needs it”, said Becquart.