While “traditional” chattel slavery has been legally abolished, about 50 million people remain trapped in modern-day slavery. Human trafficking and other forms of exploitation now generate $236 billion in illegal profits each year, according to the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM). Ahead of the World Day Against Trafficking in Persons on July 30, Sr. Abby Avelino, MM, International Coordinator of Talitha Kum, told Vatican News that the issue “is increasing in a complex way.” This year’s theme is “Trapped Behind the Scam.”Technology becomes a tool for traffickersTalitha Kum, the international network of sisters working to end human trafficking, released its 2025 Annual Report ahead of the World Day.
The report shows the network reached 1.21 million people around the world in the last year, a 29.6% increase from 2024. Yet the mission remains urgent as numbers are rising across Europe and Asia.The report highlights how trafficking is growing alongside new technologies. Online exploitation and scams have become a 21st-century means of ensnaring people.“Many of the survivors that we encounter are being trapped on this issue of the complexity of the digital platforms,” Sr. Abby said. Survivors share stories of being recruited online with promises of jobs. But when they arrive, the job is fake, their passport is taken, and their freedom is stripped away.“The digital platform is being used by criminal organizations to trap young people because young people really would like to find better futures, better jobs,” she explained.
Amy Pope, Director General of the IOM, said at a July 28 briefing that cases of online scam centers are increasing, “with victims from over 80 different countries, particularly across Asia.” The UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) reports billions of U.S. dollars in combined annual losses from scam offenses. Across East Asia, Southeast Asia, Australia, and New Zealand, scam compounds are thought to have hundreds of thousands of trafficked workers.Prevention, education, and survivor supportOne way Talitha Kum is combatting these scams is by educating the people most targeted online, especially young people.
Through its Youth Ambassadors program, young people are trained to identify trafficking and then go into their local communities and countries to educate their peers.Because traffickers use social media, Talitha Kum is responding on the same platforms. The network has created social media accounts, TV, and radio programs to warn the public about the dangers of online trafficking.The 2025 Annual Report also covers prevention, access to justice, partnership, and advocacy. But Sr. Abby highlighted survivor support as key. “Survivors are part of the solution. It is not about rescuing,” she stressed. “We also need to give a platform to the survivors, for their needs, for opportunities, and for ongoing accompaniment in a really sustainable way.”She called for a “survivor-centered approach” and for systemic change to address root causes. “People move because of poverty.
People move because of inequality. People really move because of conflict. This is why we need to walk together in order to really build a world without human trafficking.”Sr. Abby said the work must start at the grassroots level because “the global trend of traffickers is getting complex.” Prevention, advocacy, survivor support, and protection are essential. She also urged people everywhere to call on local and world leaders to address the root causes perpetuating human trafficking.