Currents News Staff
Feb. 8 is the “International Day of Prayer and Awareness Against Human Trafficking” and it’s being marked by a day-long prayer marathon organized by the religious sisters of Talitha Kum.
They say it has even more importance this year since the pandemic has put even more people at risk of being trafficked.
“The time we are living in which for the last two years has been marked by the pandemic, has increased the number of vulnerable situations which are exploited by traffickers,” said International Coordinator Sister Gabriella Bottani.
During the Angelus, Pope Francis encouraged these sisters to continue their work with victims of human trafficking and blessed a statue they presented to the Diocese of Rome.
“A special greeting goes to the women religious of the group Talitha Kum, who are working against human trafficking. Thank you for what you do, for your courage. Thank you. I encourage you in your work and I bless the statue of Saint Josephine Bakhita,” the pontiff said.
The statue is a moving depiction of St. Josephine Bakhita, a former slave and universal symbol of the Church’s commitment to fighting human trafficking.
“She is a woman who, with a simple gesture, holds open a manhole which joins the world of darkness with the world of light, the submerged world with the visible one, and from this manhole emerge the people who represent the different forms of trafficking in all its realities in the world,” said Sister Gabriella.
Human trafficking occurs in all parts of the world and as such, participants from over 30 countries and all continents will participate in the day of prayer. Together they aim to raise awareness about the over 40 million modern slaves worldwide – of which an estimated 72-percent are women and girls.
The religious sisters of Talitha Kum work in more than 92 countries worldwide to combat human trafficking.