{"id":37726,"date":"2026-02-07T17:30:00","date_gmt":"2026-02-07T16:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/explorecatholic.nl\/nieuws\/talitha-kum-coordinator-on-human-trafficking-peace-begins-with-dignity\/"},"modified":"2026-02-07T17:30:00","modified_gmt":"2026-02-07T16:30:00","slug":"talitha-kum-coordinator-on-human-trafficking-peace-begins-with-dignity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/explorecatholic.nl\/en\/nieuws\/talitha-kum-coordinator-on-human-trafficking-peace-begins-with-dignity\/","title":{"rendered":"Talitha Kum coordinator on Human Trafficking: \u201cPeace begins with dignity\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"
As the Church marks World Day of Prayer and Reflection against Trafficking in Persons on February 8, Talitha Kum\u2019s International Coordinator, Sr Abby Avelino, outlines current challenges and priorities in the fight against human trafficking.<\/p>\n
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By Francesca Merlo<\/b><\/p>\n
Human trafficking remains one of the most widespread and least visible forms of violence in the world today. It affects millions of people across continents, and operates almost silently, adapting to new technologies, migration routes and global inequalities. Each year, the World Day of Prayer and Reflection against Trafficking in Persons seeks to bring this hidden crime into the light.<\/p>\n
A week of work<\/h2>\n
From the 4th to the 8th of February, Rome hosted a series of meetings, prayers and public initiatives marking the 12th World Day. Promoted by a broad network of organisations committed to addressing human trafficking – including Talitha Kum – the week focuses on awareness, prevention and concrete action, under the theme Peace begins with dignity<\/i>.<\/p>\n
Accompanying survivors<\/h2>\n
Among those engaged daily in this work is Sr Abby Avelino, a Maryknoll Sister and International Coordinator of Talitha Kum, the global network of Catholic Sisters working against human trafficking. Speaking to Vatican News, she reflects on how trafficking is changing, why prevention is increasingly urgent, and how dignity must remain at the centre of responses to migration and exploitation.<\/p>\n
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Sr Abby is the International Coordinator of Talitha Kum, the International network against Human Trafficking <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
Sr Abby was born in the Philippines and raised largely in the United States after her family emigrated. \u201cI am Filipino by heart,\u201d she says, \u201cbut my life has been shaped by living between cultures.\u201d Her missionary work in Japan marked the beginning of her involvement in anti-trafficking efforts, particularly through accompanying migrants and refugees, many of them women and children. \u201cThrough listening to their experiences,\u201d she explains, \u201cI began to see how closely migration and trafficking are linked.\u201d That experience led her to Talitha Kum, a network now present in more than one hundred countries. While awareness of trafficking has increased, she notes that the problem itself continues to grow. \u201cMore people today recognise trafficking as a violation of human dignity,\u201d she says. \u201cBut many cases are still hidden, and the numbers we see do not reflect the full reality.\u201d<\/p>\n
Scammed into scamming<\/h2>\n
Trafficking methods, she explains, have changed significantly. \u201cIt is no longer only the poorest or least educated who are targeted,\u201d Sr Abby says. \u201cToday, traffickers increasingly target young people who are well educated and speak several languages.\u201d Recruitment often takes place online, through offers that appear legitimate and professional. \u201cMany victims believe they are applying for real jobs,\u201d she explains. \u201cThey are shown contracts, visas and clear requirements.\u201d From Talitha Kum\u2019s experience, recruitment is particularly high in parts of Africa and Asia, including the Philippines. Some victims are trafficked into forced online scamming operations, often in border areas between Myanmar, Cambodia and Thailand.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey are told they will work in Thailand,\u201d she says, \u201cbut they end up trapped in compounds. Once there, they cannot leave.\u201d Victims are forced to work in order to repay the cost of their recruitment and transport. \u201cThey are trained, assigned roles and pressured to produce results. This is organised crime, and it is a form of modern slavery.\u201d<\/p>\n
Prevention<\/h2>\n
Rescue remains difficult, particularly in conflict-affected regions. \u201cAccess to some areas is extremely limited,\u201d Sr Abby explains. \u201cOften, assistance is only possible once someone reaches a border.\u201d Talitha Kum works with collaborators who are present at these borders, ready to support those who manage to escape. For this reason, prevention is central to the network\u2019s work. \u201cWe want to stop trafficking before it happens,\u201d Sr Abby says. Education and awareness are key, particularly around safe migration. \u201cMigration is a human right, but people must know their rights and understand the risks involved.\u201d<\/p>\n
She recalls an instance in which a priest she knows asked her to verify a job offer for a family member preparing to migrate. \u201cThrough our network, we discovered the company did not exist,\u201d she says. \u201cThat simple check prevented a potentially dangerous situation.\u201d<\/p>\n
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According to Sr Abby, many victims do not recognise that they are being trafficked <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
According to Sr Abby, many victims do not recognise that they are being trafficked. \u201cOften, traffickers are people they trust,\u201d she explains. \u201cSome survivors have told us they never imagined a relative or acquaintance would exploit them.\u201d In some situations, victims are coerced into recruiting others as a condition for their own survival.<\/p>\n
Lasting trauma<\/h2>\n
The impact on survivors is long-lasting. \u201cTrafficking causes deep trauma,\u201d she says. \u201cIt affects a person\u2019s sense of dignity and security.\u201d Recovery requires time, accompaniment and access to stable work. \u201cWithout economic stability, people remain vulnerable.\u201d Despite this, some survivors choose to speak publicly about their experiences. \u201cThey want to prevent others from going through the same suffering,\u201d Sr Abby explains. \u201cTheir testimonies are important, especially for young people.\u201d She recalls meeting survivors who initially did not identify themselves as victims of trafficking. \u201cMany people say, \u2018I didn\u2019t know this was trafficking,\u2019\u201d she explains. \u201cOnly later, when they begin to understand their rights and what was taken from them, do they realise what happened.\u201d This lack of awareness, she adds, makes prevention even more urgent.<\/p>\n
For this reason, Talitha Kum places strong emphasis on education at every level. \u201cOur Sisters work in schools, parishes and communities,\u201d Sr Abby says. \u201cWe even begin with children, because awareness must start early.\u201d Young people, she notes, are both highly vulnerable and powerful agents of change. \u201cWhen young people understand what is happening, they help protect one another.\u201d\u201d<\/p>\n
A human, not political issue<\/h2>\n
Reflecting on current global debates around migration and ever stricter migration laws, Sr Abby stresses the need to keep the human person at the centre. \u201cMigration is often treated only as a political issue,\u201d she says. \u201cBut it is fundamentally a human issue.\u201d She refers to her own family\u2019s migration experience and to the fear felt by many migrants today. \u201cPolicies that rely on exclusion or punishment increase vulnerability,\u201d she notes. \u201cThey do not address the causes of migration or trafficking.\u201d<\/p>\n
Peace begins with dignity<\/h2>\n
For Sr Abby, the message of this year\u2019s World Day is clear. \u201cPeace begins with dignity,\u201d she says. \u201cIf dignity is not protected, peace cannot be sustained.\u201d Human trafficking, she stresses, cannot be separated from broader global issues. Poverty, climate-related disasters, conflict and forced migration all increase vulnerability. \u201cPeople do not leave their homes lightly,\u201d she says. \u201cWhen they are forced to move, traffickers are ready to take advantage.\u201d<\/p>\n
The work of Talitha Kum therefore extends beyond rescue and awareness to advocacy and collaboration at international level. The network works locally, she explains, but remains connected globally, sharing information and responding across borders.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is not something one group can do alone,\u201d Sr Abby says. \u201cIt requires shared responsibility and solidarity – among institutions, governments, communities and individuals.\u201d<\/p>\n
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