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You can access the article here: https://www.vaticannews.va/de/welt/news/2024-05/menschenhandel-talitha-kum-ordensnetzwerk-renate-interview.html
(Photo credit: Vatican News)
Religious orders are at the forefront and well-networked to combat human trafficking, which often occurs directly and unnoticed in society. Currently, the global network Talitha Kum is meeting in Sacrofano near Rome, and we spoke with some participants.
Svitlana Dukhovich, Deborah Lubov, and Christine Seuss – Vatican City
Ivonne van de Kar, from the Netherlands, is one of the two vice presidents of the European Network of Religious Communities Against Human Trafficking (RENATE). In an interview with Vatican Radio, she praises the action plan of the German Bishops’ Conference against human trafficking and urges everyone to remain vigilant about supply chains in their personal purchasing behaviour. RENATE is the European Network of Religious Organizations Against Human Trafficking, one of the numerous institutions united under the Talitha Kum network, which was founded 15 years ago by nuns. Ivonne van de Kar emphasizes that human trafficking occurs everywhere in all societies, even if we often do not want to acknowledge this:
“Everywhere. It’s hard to believe, but it involves exploitation, sexual exploitation, but also in factories, in a shop… People are exploited everywhere, and it is very important that we are aware of this and that we tell each other about it (at events like these, Ed.), but also inform others, and it is very important to know what our fellow sisters in other countries are doing, what others are doing, and what they are fighting against. And that, I believe, is the most important reason we are here, to learn from each other and to hear what is happening in Lebanon or Zimbabwe or Australia. Human trafficking exists everywhere, it is a bit different everywhere, but it exists everywhere, and people are exploited everywhere.”
Listening Back
“Human trafficking exists everywhere, it is a bit different everywhere, but it exists everywhere, and people are exploited everywhere.”
Mostly, it is women who fall into the ruthless machinery of sexual exploitation, but children and men are also vulnerable—no one is truly safe if they are in financial distress, fleeing, or in other difficulties. It’s not just about forced prostitution. Van de Kar finds it especially important that regular consumers become aware of their consumption habits and look closely at where a product or service comes from:
“So, when you buy a new blouse, where does it come from? Where was it made? Which children worked on it? Or when laundry is done in my church, which organization does it for our church? Who does it? Who are these people and where do we buy our supplies for the church? Are they perhaps migrants, do they receive a normal income? Can they live on it? Where do they work? Where do we buy our own stuff? As a church, as a person, and as an organization? People are exploited here with us, but also when we buy something produced in China or Taiwan.”
In this context, van de Kar also praises the action plan against human trafficking presented by the German Bishops’ Conference in December 2022 after two years of joint work with the Santa Marta Group. With nine specific recommendations, the consulted experts provide guidance on how human trafficking can also be combated at the political and law enforcement levels.
“We have heard about this action plan from the German Bishops’ Conference, and we are also using it in Europe because it is so important,” underscores van de Kar: “Where does exploitation occur, and where can something be done? It is not always far away. Sometimes it is very, very close.”
From Victim to Helper
Kris, our second interviewee, can only agree with this. She is a survivor of human trafficking who originally came from a wealthy family but was lured off a train as a naive teenager and forced into prostitution in a major American city. She is also attending the 2nd General Assembly of Talitha Kum in Sacrofano, north of Rome. Kris has become a sought-after expert in the field. She currently serves as the executive director of the Justice Project KC, a nonprofit human rights organization in Kansas City, Missouri, and provides support to women and girls in poverty. She is also a member of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Anti-Trafficking Coalition and the Kansas Attorney General’s Human Trafficking Advisory Board.
“There needs to be a shift in language from victim to survivor to achiever because when people are labelled as victims, it changes their self-image.”
“As someone who survived sexual exploitation and now works with other affected individuals, I really believe the world must unconditionally accept and love these people,” she asserts in an interview with Vatican News. She also calls for a change in how survivors are perceived: “There needs to be a shift in language from victim to survivor to achiever because when people are labelled as victims, it changes their self-image,” says the expert, who has herself endured dark times as a sex slave in the middle of an American city.
Participants at the 2nd General Assembly of Talitha Kum
Male Victims Slip Through the Cracks
There needs to be more “inclusivity” for the many victims, “including our trans victims” who face “a lot of hatred,” as well as “for men and boys who sometimes slip through the cracks.” Society as a whole needs to be “less biased,” “put aside their prejudices,” and “help others achieve justice for themselves,” the expert demands. Looking ahead to the Talitha Kum General Assembly, where religious, especially nuns, and committed lay people from around the world dedicated to combating human trafficking come together, Kris emphasizes that she would like to see a specific focus at the next event:
“I would like them to address the ‘demand,’ the buyers, because they want to tackle the causes. There are many causes, but one of the main ones is that people are still willing to buy other people.” With a wink, she also argues using an ancient economic principle: “If people don’t buy, it’s much harder to sell. I mean, that’s basic capitalist theory. If you don’t have buyers for your product, it’s much harder to sell the product. That’s what I would like to see.”
“If you don’t have buyers for your product, it’s much harder to sell the product.”
However, this requires a lot of awareness, especially among men and boys, that it is wrong to “commodify women and girls as mere toys for men.”
Furthermore, Kris emphasizes the necessity of promoting “the equality of women at all levels, in all phases, in all countries, and everywhere” and always striving for greater equality: “Especially law enforcement must address the demand, and where I live, this is already happening. And when these traffickers are legally and financially penalized, they often withdraw, and that makes a difference. We’ve seen that in my part of the world.”
A Global Network
The Talitha Kum network includes religious, laypeople, young activists, and survivors of human trafficking. The International Union of Superiors General (UISG) established the network in 2009. Talitha Kum aims primarily to offer assistance to boys and girls, women and men affected by human trafficking and to raise awareness of their situation.
Member networks—there are sixty in total—are represented on all continents in 107 countries. Recently, Talitha Kum has established subregional hubs, particularly in Asia and Africa, and in 2023, new networks were founded in Togo and Puerto Rico.