My name is Marie Power, and I am a sister of the Holy Family of Bordeaux. Our congregation was founded in France over 200 years ago to meet the needs of the time. Today, as human trafficking remains one of the worst evils of our time, it is important that we act together to abolish it. 

My work against trafficking began in the 1990s, while working at the Justice Desk of the Conference of Religious in England and Wales. I was asked by the Conference of Bishops to join a small group of women in Europe to examine reports of young women from Eastern Europe being taken to the West for sexual exploitation. We lacked the specific terminology then, but we now recognize this as trafficking in human beings. A small group of us travelled around Europe trying to make people aware of this. We met with Religious women and men, as well as various groups who had never heard of this. It was difficult to get others to take this reality with as much seriousness and urgency as we would have wanted. I have been involved in raising awareness of human trafficking since then.

Today, I am Co-President of RENATE (Religious in Europe Networking against Trafficking and Exploitation). We are a Europe-wide network of Religious and Associates, committed to preventing trafficking, protecting those who are exploited, supporting rehabilitation and strengthening coordinated action across countries. Founded in 2009, the Network continues to grow and develop as a collaborative platform for faith-based action, advocacy, awareness-raising, training and survivor-centred engagement across Europe.

I am very excited to join the Talitha Kum International Coordination Committee (TKICC), as the Representative for Europe. In my work for RENATE, I have gained many years experience fostering collaboration all over Europe, which will be invaluable in this new role. Human trafficking is both a European and a global problem, requiring a unified, continent-wide perspective. I look forward to leveraging my extensive network across Europe to enhance our prevention and awareness-raising efforts.

I wish to express my sincere gratitude to Sr. Abby Avelino, the Talitha Kum International Coordinator, and to the UISG for entrusting me with this responsibility. I also extend my deepest thanks to Sr. Adina Balan, the former Europe Representative, for her dedicated service and for laying a strong foundation for this role. I am ready to build upon this legacy and work alongside all of you to bring hope and justice to those affected by trafficking.