Talitha Kum's 2025 annual report shows major expansion in the Catholic sisters' anti-trafficking network: the organization reached 1.21 million people worldwide, a 29.6% increase from 2024, and expanded to 68 national networks across 113 countries. Prevention, protection, and access-to-justice programs all grew significantly; access-to-justice support increased by 72.4% to help 7,141 survivors. Leaders warn that online scam-based trafficking is an emerging, urgent threat and call for continued support.
Talitha Kum: Catholic Sisters Report Major Growth in Anti‑Trafficking Reach — 1.21M People Reached in 2025
(Dreamstime)
The Talitha Kum network, coordinated by Catholic sisters under the International Union of Superiors General (UISG), released its 2025 annual report on World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, detailing substantial growth in reach and services to combat human trafficking.
Rising Reach as Trafficking Patterns Evolve
Sister Abby Avelino, international coordinator of Talitha Kum, warned that trafficking is becoming more complex and cited the rapid expansion of organized online scam operations in parts of Southeast Asia as a particularly urgent form of exploitation.
“Thousands of young people from Africa, Asia, and other regions have been deceived by false promises of employment, trafficked across borders, and forced into cyber-enabled criminal activities through violence and coercion,” Sister Avelino said.
Key Figures From the 2025 Report
- 1.21 million people reached worldwide in 2025 — a 29.6% increase over 2024 — through prevention, survivor protection and care, access-to-justice work, advocacy, and international partnerships.
- The network expanded to 68 national networks operating across 113 countries, adding national efforts in Malawi, Botswana, Lesotho, and Eswatini.
- Talitha Kum's mission was carried out by 6,387 sisters and partners, a 5.7% increase from the prior year.
Program Growth and Services
Prevention remained the largest area of activity, reaching 928,972 people in 2025 — a 34.6% rise from 2024 — including 303,359 women and girls and 262,621 children under 18. Protection and care services supported 27,329 survivors with safe shelter, medical and psychological support, legal assistance, education, vocational training, and livelihood opportunities.
Support for access to justice recorded the sharpest proportional growth: the network assisted 7,141 survivors in 2025, a 72.4% increase, through legal referrals, court accompaniment, and reintegration services. Partnership and networking activities rose by 77.5% during the year.
Context and Calls to Action
The report references global estimates from the International Labour Organization and the International Organization for Migration that some 50 million people are living in situations of modern slavery and that trafficking-related exploitation generates roughly $236 billion in illicit profits annually. UISG president Sister Oonah O'Shea urged ongoing support from congregations and communities to sustain and expand Talitha Kum's work.
The report also notes that UISG representatives discussed Talitha Kum's mission with Queen Camilla of the U.K. earlier this month, and that the network was mentioned in a papal message for the World Day of Prayer and Awareness Against Human Trafficking released in February.
Source: Talitha Kum 2025 Annual Report; figures cited by the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM). © 2026 Newsmax.
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