Catholic anti-trafficking leaders meet in Thailand to strengthen global response

By Chainarong Monthienvichienchai, LiCAS News

The 6th International Edition of the Talitha Kum Leadership Training Course gathered 30 participants from 23 countries at the Baan Phu Waan Pastoral Training Center in Samphran, west of Bangkok, from June 24–30.

Named after the Gospel phrase Talitha Kum (“Little girl, I say to you, arise”), the global network seeks to prevent human trafficking, protect survivors, and address the systemic conditions that make people vulnerable to exploitation.

According to the latest estimates, about 49.6 million people worldwide are living in modern slavery, including 27.6 million in forced labor and 22 million in forced marriage.

Sr. Marie-Agnes Suwanna Buasap, SPC (right), presents Talitha Kum Thailand’s education-based anti-trafficking program during the 6th International Edition of the Talitha Kum Leadership Training Course in Samphran, Thailand. An alumna of the inaugural 2018 leadership course in Rome, she highlighted a prevention model that integrates anti-trafficking education into school curricula from kindergarten through high school. (Photo: Sr. Marie-Agnes Buasap, SPC)

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) reported that the number of detected trafficking victims in 2022 was 25% higher than in 2019, with child victims increasing by 31%. Women and girls accounted for 71% of identified victims.

The International Labor Organization (ILO) estimates that forced labor generates about US$236 billion in illegal profits each year, with forced sexual exploitation accounting for US$173.2 billion, or nearly three-quarters of the total.

Asia and the Pacific bear the heaviest burden of modern slavery, with 29.3 million people estimated to be living in exploitation. The ILO estimates that forced labor in the region generates approximately US$62 billion in illegal profits annually.

UNODC has also identified Southeast Asia as a major hub for trafficking linked to online scam compounds, estimating that at least 300,000 trafficked people have been forced to work in scam centers across Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, and the Philippines.

These criminal enterprises generate an estimated US$50 billion to US$75 billion annually and are increasingly exploiting artificial intelligence and deepfake technology to expand fraud operations.

In response, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations adopted the 2025 Guideline on the Non-Punishment Principle to help ensure that trafficking victims are not prosecuted for crimes they were compelled to commit while under the control of traffickers.

Coordinated by the Talitha Kum International/International Union of Superiors General (UISG) in Rome and organized in collaboration with Tangaza University of Nairobi and the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome, the annual global formation program prepares leaders within the Talitha Kum network to respond to systemic vulnerabilities.

Supported by the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, the hybrid course blended rigorous online preparatory training with an intensive, hands-on residency focused on leadership models, synodality, communication skills, and project planning.

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One of the major highlights of this year’s gathering was the presentation by Talitha Kum Thailand, which demonstrated how education can become one of the strongest defenses against human trafficking.

Participants from Africa, Asia, and Oceania attend the 6th International Edition of the Talitha Kum Leadership Training Course at the Baan Phu Waan Pastoral Training Center in Samphran, Thailand. The weeklong program brought together Catholic sisters, youth ambassadors, and lay leaders from 23 countries to strengthen leadership and international cooperation in efforts to prevent human trafficking and modern exploitation. (Photo: LiCAS News)

Led by Sr. Marie-Agnes Suwanna Buasap, SPC – an alumna of the inaugural 2018 leadership course in Rome – the local network showcased a pioneering prevention methodology that addresses vulnerability from early childhood onward.

Rather than treating anti-trafficking awareness as an isolated subject, Sr. Marie-Agnes and her team are developing a curriculum and textbook series titled Don’t Touch Me. Designed for students from kindergarten through high school, the curriculum is integrated across all subjects and grade levels.

“We educate children on this problem by collaborating with teachers, who have close contact with the children,” Sr. Marie-Agnes explained. “The goal is to weave a permanent network of vigilant protection across local communities.”

This systemic approach has produced significant institutional results. On June 5, 2026, Thailand’s Ministry of Social Development and Human Security bestowed the Exemplary Educational Institution Award on participating schools.

Archbishop Francis Xavier Vira Arpondratana, president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Thailand, commended St. Louis School in Bangkok, St. Joseph School in Phetchaburi, and Assumption Convent School in Lopburi as official 2026 “Model Schools for Preventing Human Trafficking.”

“This is a confirmation that schools are safe spaces for children and youth, places that instill human values, dignity, and the protection of vulnerable individuals,” Archbishop Arpondratana affirmed.

“Preventing human trafficking begins in the classroom, from the heart of the teacher, and from the community of love and safety that the school provides.”

Participants also examined the rapidly changing nature of human trafficking, particularly the growing role of digital technology in recruiting and exploiting victims.

Representatives from the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the ASEAN-Australia Counter Trafficking initiative, and the director of Thailand’s Division of Anti-Trafficking in Persons briefed participants on the growing use of digital technology to lure victims. They highlighted how sophisticated online scams and cyber-enabled trafficking networks are creating new challenges across Southeast Asia.

Sr. Abby Avelino, a Maryknoll Sister from the Philippines and the International Coordinator of Talitha Kum, said Thailand’s educational initiatives offer a valuable model for the global network.

“Education is truly the best tool to prevent human trafficking,” Sr. Avelino stated. “The initiatives the sisters are leading here – where students and educators identify as ‘Talitha Kum kids’ and ‘Talitha Kum teachers’ – serve as a brilliant pilot model we hope to replicate across Asia and worldwide.”

Participants visited a ministry of the Good Shepherd Sisters in Bangkok serving women and other people in vulnerable situations, providing an opportunity to connect formation with practical pastoral outreach.

Sr. Angela Kapitingana, a Missionary Sister of Our Lady of Africa from Tanzania, reflected on the profound spiritual dimension of the gathering:

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“It has been a moment of very energizing discovery, but also a challenge to dare to take initiative and creativity to attain the objective of dignifying each person created in the image and likeness of God.”

Baan Phu Waan, Thailand, during the celebration of the 350th Anniversary of the Church’s “Mission to Siam”, May 18. (Photo by Nattha Nuchsuwan/LiCAS.news)

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