TALITHA KUM - A Faith-Based Commitment to Prevention, Protection, Partnership, Advocacy, and Prayer

By Sr. Abby Avelino, MM, Talitha Kum International Coordinator – December 10, 2025
 

Twenty-five years ago, the international community adopted the Palermo Protocol, a landmark agreement to prevent human trafficking, protect victims, and prosecute offenders. Today, as we commemorate this anniversary, we see both progress and a painful reality: human trafficking continues to rise in every region of the world. The numbers grow even as systems of protection and accountability struggle to keep pace.

For Talitha Kum, a faith-based network of networks present in more than 100 countries, this anniversary is a moment of reflection and renewed commitment. As Sisters and partners accompanying survivors, working in prevention, and advocating for systemic change, we witness both the deep wounds caused by exploitation and the transformative power of healing, community, and hope.

Accompanying Survivors: Healing Through Trust and Dignity

Our mission often begins at a moment of vulnerability—when a survivor seeks safety and finds it in the compassionate presence of Sisters. Around the world, faith-based communities are often the first place survivors turn because they offer trust, dignity, and a listening heart.

Talitha Kum’s approach to survivor accompaniment is holistic: emotional, psychological, spiritual, and practical. This includes access to healthcare, safe and trust environment, legal assistance, education, and livelihoods training. Most of all, it includes ongoing presence—walking with survivors beyond crisis moments.

One woman survivor shared: “When the Sisters believed in me, I began to believe in myself again. They showed me that my story did not end with what happened to me.” Her words remind us that healing begins with being seen and heard.

True protection also means honoring survivors’ leadership. Their voices help shape better policies, safer communities, and stronger prevention programs.

Prevention: Addressing Root Causes and Building Resilience

Human trafficking begins long before a crime is committed—it begins in the vulnerabilities caused by poverty, conflict, displacement, gender inequality, discrimination, and unsafe migration.

For Talitha Kum, prevention happens every day in parishes, schools, migrant centers, shelters, and rural villages. Through education and awareness-raising, we strengthen resilience among families, women, and young people. Our Talitha Kum Youth Ambassadors and tools like the Walking in Dignity App mobilize youth to protect their communities and stand against exploitation. Prevention also extends to the digital world, where grooming and recruitment increasingly take place. Digital safety and responsible online platforms are now essential.

Networking & Partnerships: A Global Community of Care

One of Talitha Kum’s greatest strengths is its “network of networks.” Across continents and congregations, Sisters and partners work closely with civil society, governments, survivor-led groups, Church bodies, and international organizations.

These partnerships help us reach people in places formal systems cannot, including remote villages, migrant routes, informal work areas, and communities affected by conflict. Through collaboration, we identify risks early, coordinate safe referrals, and strengthen advocacy at local, national, and global levels. Human trafficking is too complex for one organization alone. Partnerships rooted in solidarity and shared responsibility help make our mission possible.

Advocacy for Systemic Change: Toward an Economy of Care

As we reflect on the Palermo Protocol’s legacy, we know that laws alone are not enough. Justice must be rooted in what Pope Francis called an “economy of care”, a way of organizing society and work that places people, not profit, at the center.

Our advocacy focuses on policies that protect migrants, women, children, refugees, and workers; transparent supply chains; ethical recruitment; and accountability for everyone who contributes to exploitation, not only traffickers but also those who support or benefit from it. We call on and encourage governments to strengthen prevention and long-term support, while addressing the underlying inequalities that enable trafficking.

Prayer: The Foundation of Our Mission

For Talitha Kum, prayer is not separate from action, it sustains it.
Prayer strengthens our global community, nourishes our hope, and reminds us of the sacred dignity of every person. It unites us across borders and cultures, grounding our work in compassion and the belief that transformation is possible.

A Journey of Hope and Dignity

As we look ahead, my message is simple: our work is a journey of hope and dignity.
Every survivor’s story is a sign of resilience. Every community that stands together becomes a beacon of protection. Partnerships and prayer help us continue, even when the challenges are great.

“We walk this path with courage because we believe in the God-given dignity of every person. When we accompany one another with compassion, justice, and prayer, hope becomes stronger than exploitation.”

Twenty-five years after the Palermo Protocol, may our shared commitment lead us closer to a world where trafficking has no place and every person can live in freedom and dignity.