As a community attentive to the needs of our time and committed to responding wherever possible, ongoing efforts continue in the area of prevention and awareness-raising against human trafficking.
On 29 January 2026, Sr. Victoria Šimić, Sister of Mercy of the Holy Cross from Đakovo, delivered a lecture on human trafficking in the Parish of St. John the Beheader in Odžak, Bosnia and Herzegovina, together with the Parish Pastoral Centre. Reflecting on the event, the Parish’s Facebook page noted that Sr. Victoria spoke “with moving words about the victims of human trafficking.”
The programme was moderated by Parish Priest Fr. Ilija Orkić and Ms. Amanda Đ., Head of the Regional Office of the Archdiocesan Centre for Youth Pastoral John Paul II for Bosanska Posavina. The lecture formed part of the social project Caring for Socially Vulnerable Persons in the Parish of Odžak and the Odžak Region, supported by the Ministry of Labour, Pension System, Family and Social Policy of the Republic of Croatia.
Alongside public lectures, Sr. Victoria has continued leading prevention workshops in schools, helping young people to recognise the dangers and realities of trafficking and exploitation.
On 17 April 2026, two workshops were held at the Secondary Vocational School for approximately one hundred second- and third-year students. According to the school’s website:
“The students learned about the methods used by those who buy and sell children, young people and adults, and how each of us can protect ourselves. Through group work, students became aware of the situations in which victims of human trafficking find themselves, how they feel at that time, and who they can turn to for help.”
A further workshop took place on 23 April 2026 at the elementary school in Stari Jankovci for eighth-grade students. During the session, students were reminded that human trafficking is one of the gravest violations of human rights, and they explored ways to recognise exploitation, protect themselves, and support others who may be at risk.
Continuing this important educational outreach, another workshop is scheduled to take place on 7 May 2026 at the “Mitnica” Elementary School in Vukovar, at the invitation of Sr. Petra Toman, SCSC, with more than thirty eighth-grade students expected to participate.
All of these activities are accompanied by the prayerful support of elderly and sick Sisters in the convents in Zagreb and Đakovo and entrusted to the intercession of St. Josephine Bakhita, patron saint of victims of human trafficking.
Through education, dialogue, faith, and community support, these prevention initiatives continue to empower young people and strengthen awareness of the realities of human trafficking and exploitation.