Rome (Italy). On 31 October 2023 in Farringdon, London, three Sisters received the “SATA – Sisters Anti-Trafficking Awards” for their commitment against human trafficking.
Among them, Sister Seli Thomas, an Indian religious of the Catechist Sisters of Mary Immaculate Help of Christians (SMI), one of the 32 Groups of the Salesian Family, received the “Common Good” Award for her courage and creativity in tackling and combating the phenomenon of the exploitation of people.
Sister Seli aims to prevent exploitation by reaching out to children in the prostitution neighborhood in Krishnagar, West Bengal, organizing awareness camps and forming the women. She provides free legal assistance and conducts seminars and workshops on safe migration and human trafficking in villages, for teachers and students. She contributed to saving exploited girls and to prosecuting traffickers.
In addition to her, Sister Patricia Ebegbulem, Nigerian, of the Sisters of St. Louis (SSL) received the Human Dignity Award; and Sister Francoise Jiranonda of the Sisters of St. Paul of Chartres, from Thailand, had the Recognition for Leadership in Service.
I SATA – Sisters Anti-Trafficking Awards, in their first edition, they are sponsored by Arise, an NGO that fights against the exploitation of people all over the world; by the International Union of Superiors General (UISG) that represents around 600 thousand religious women from 80 countries and founded the anti-trafficking network Talitha Kum; and the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation.
The objectives of the initiative are: to raise awareness of the extraordinary contribution of Catholic Sisters against human trafficking; share knowledge and promote further collaborations between congregations and in the area of anti-trafficking as a whole; expand and strengthen protection for communities vulnerable to trafficking around the world.
The event, presented by the British journalist and writer Adrian Chiles, brought together around 200 people from the Catholic and non-Catholic world, including the former British Prime Minister Theresa May and the marathon runner of Somali origin Mo Farah.
On the website it is possible to learn more about the work of Sister Seli Thomas and the other Sisters who received awards.
Sor Seli! Gracias por dar lo mejor de ti para luchar contra este flagelo que es la trata de personas. En tu persona el agradecimiento a quienes trabajan contigo. Rezo por tu misión y para que Dios te fortalezca y bendiga.