We, Adorers, join the World Day of Prayer and Reflection against Human Trafficking, celebrated annually on 8 February.
Pope Francis called for this Day in 2015, choosing the day of the liturgical memory of Saint Josephine Bakhita, a Sudanese nun “who as a child lived the dramatic experience of being a victim of trafficking”.
At the Angelus on 8 February that year, the Pope noted that the Unions of Superiors General of Religious Institutes had organised the Day of Prayer and Reflection against Human Trafficking and expressed the wish “that those who have responsibilities in government will take decisions to remove the causes of this shameful scourge, a scourge unworthy of a civil society. May each one of us feel committed to be a spokesperson for these brothers and sisters of ours, humiliated in their dignity”.
The commitment of the Adorers
For our Adorers Family, who accompany women affected by this “unworthy scourge” in our mission of Adoration and Liberation, this is a day in the year to pray together and to continue to raise awareness that human trafficking is one of the most serious human rights violations of the 21st century.
Likewise, because of the charism and mission received from the hands of our foundress, St. Maria Micaela, for all of us this day is also a special moment of welcome and Adoration, in which we evoke so many women and girls with whom we have travelled and have travelled the path of Liberation.
Nor do we forget the faces and names of so many other women, people of all ages and genders, who have suffered and continue to suffer this kind of exploitation in the world. We, challenged by their lives, wish to cooperate in the transformation of our reality.
Talitha Kum
As part of this commitment against human trafficking, the Adorers Family is a member of the Talitha Kum project. Promoted by the UISG (The International Union of Superiors General), it was born in 2009 as an international initiative against human trafficking and exploitation.
Thus, as stated on its official website, Talitha Kum “promotes collaboration among networks organized at national, regional and continental level, actively supporting victims, survivors and people at risk. While each Talitha Kum network retains its unique identity and operates within its own country or region, the International Coordination at UISG supports capacity development and training of networks and members, and facilitates the sharing of information, resources and experiences”.
Talitha Kum functions “as an umbrella network of Sisters-led networks” and its strength “lies in its bottom-up, grassroots engagement and in its person- and community-centered approach, which ensures proximity to victims and survivors of trafficking, their families, and those at risk of exploitation.”.
Talitha Kum members are:
- inter-congregational Sisters led networks, organized primarily at the national level;
- on-the-ground oriented;
- linked to the national Conference/Association of Major Superiors.
X World Day of Prayer and Reflection against Human Trafficking
As the official website of this day states, the main objective of the World Day of Prayer and Reflection against Human Trafficking is to raise awareness of the phenomenon of human trafficking and to reflect on the situation of violence and injustice that affects the lives of so many people. Another objective is to try to provide solutions to counteract human trafficking through concrete actions.
Inspired by the commitment of young people around the world, the theme of the 10th World Day of Prayer and Reflection against Human Trafficking 2024 is: “Journeying in Dignity. Listen. Dream. Act”:
The X edition has the following objectives:
- To pray together as brothers and sisters of all ages, cultures, and faiths to end human trafficking and other forms of exploitation;
- Raising awareness about human trafficking at all levels – local churches, traditions, and communities;
- Celebrating the 10th year anniversary of the Day with partners and people of goodwill;
- Closing the year dedicated to young people (2023-2024).