Talitha Kum (or the International Network of Consecrated Life Against Trafficking in Persons) is an organization of

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

nuns established by the International Union of Superiors General (UISG) in 2009. The group works to end human-trafficking and is based in

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

. The name comes from the expression found in the

Gospel of Mark The Gospel of Mark is the second of the four canonical Gospels and one of the three synoptic Gospels, synoptic Gospels. It tells of the ministry of Jesus from baptism of Jesus, his baptism by John the Baptist to his death, the Burial of Jesus, ...

and is

Aramaic Aramaic (; ) is a Northwest Semitic language that originated in the ancient region of Syria and quickly spread to Mesopotamia, the southern Levant, Sinai, southeastern Anatolia, and Eastern Arabia, where it has been continually written a ...

, meaning, "Maiden, I say to you, arise." The organization is considered a Catholic

charity Charity may refer to: Common meanings * Charitable organization or charity, a non-profit organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being of persons * Charity (practice), the practice of being benevolent, giving and sha ...

, and operates as a network with many different groups. The former coordinator of Talitha Kum is Sister Estrella Castalone, and Sister Gabriella Bottani is the current head of the organization.

John Studzinski John Joseph Paul Studzinski, CBE (born March 19, 1956) is an American-British investment banker and philanthropist. Since September 2018 he has been Managing Director and Vice Chairman of the global investment-management firm PIMCO. Prior to ...

chairs the group.

History

The International Union of Superiors General (UISG) and the

International Organization for Migration The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is a United Nations related organization working in the field of migration. The organization implements operational assistance programmes for Human migration, migrants, including internally displa ...

(IOM) started developing a program between 2004 and 2008, which created regional networks against trafficking in nine countries around the world. The idea to create a group which became Talitha Kum started in 2007 when Catholic women leaders discovered that rates of human trafficking were increasing. Talitha Kum was formally created in 2009 and brought the network of individual groups together. In 2013, Talitha Kum had counter-trafficking missions in 75 countries and involved over 600

nun A nun is a woman who vows to dedicate her life to religious service and contemplation, typically living under vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience in the enclosure of a monastery or convent.''The Oxford English Dictionary'', vol. X, page 5 ...

s. By 2015, there were about 1,100 women working in 80 countries. Sister Gabriella Bottani became the new coordinator of Talitha Kum in January 2015.

Activity

Talitha Kum uses the Palermo Protocol of 2000 "for the protection, prevention and prosecution" of people being trafficked. Shelters,

safe house A safe house (also spelled safehouse) is a dwelling place or building whose unassuming appearance makes it an inconspicuous location where one can hide out, take shelter, or conduct clandestine activities. Historical usage It may also refer to ...

s, counseling and legal assistance are available to victims through Talitha Kum. Members of Talitha Kum train local people to be aware of signs of human trafficking. The sisters involved in Talitha Kum have been reported to disguise themselves as

prostitutes Prostitution is a type of sex work that involves engaging in sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, non-p ...

in order to infiltrate

brothel A brothel, strumpet house, bordello, bawdy house, ranch, house of ill repute, house of ill fame, or whorehouse is a place where people engage in Human sexual activity, sexual activity with prostitutes. For legal or cultural reasons, establis ...

s and rescue women. During the

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

ian

World Cup A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the name is ...

in 2014, the group organized a campaign called "Play for Life, Report Trafficking," which was meant to raise awareness of human trafficking and how to report possible incidents. Other services include training women in

vocation A vocation () is an Work (human activity), occupation to which a person is especially drawn or for which they are suited, trained or qualified. Though now often used in non-religious contexts, the meanings of the term originated in Christianity. ...

al skills and providing "assistance for micro-industries."

References

External links

Official site

Talitha Kum
(video) {{Authority control Christian organizations established in 2009 Catholic charities International women's organizations