8 FEBRUARY – WORLD DAY OF PRAYER AND REFLECTION AGAINST TRAFFICKING

The scourge of trafficking in persons for the purpose of labour, sexual exploitation, begging or the sale of organs is not a thing of the past, but even today many people, generally from the poorer classes and, in particular, from the countries of the South, are enslaved and exploited as if they were not human beings and had no rights.

On 8 February, the Catholic Church commemorates the first Sudanese saint, Bakhita, who was kidnapped as a child and sold several times as a slave. She came to Italy and consecrated herself to God as a Canossian nun. She was nicknamed ‘Mother Moretta’ because of the colour of her skin. She died in Schio, in the province of Vicenza, where her remains are kept and where it is possible to visit a museum dedicated to her. Because of the unprecedented suffering experienced by Saint Josephine Bakhita and her special journey of faith, Pope Francis chose the date of 8 February to mobilise the fight against trafficking

Gabriella Bottani, coordinator of Talitha Kum, the worldwide network of consecrated life against sex trafficking, presents the theme of the 2021 day.

Let’s take part in the online prayer marathon!

ON-LINE Prayer Marathon against trafficking from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Monday 8 February 2021: 7 hours of marathon in 5 languages with prayers and testimonies from the different realities engaged in the world against trafficking.