Talitha Kum is a group formed by nuns worldwide to help victims of human trafficking and sex slavery. The network had infiltrated brothels in more than 80 countries and is planning on expanding to 140 countries, Talitha Kum Chair John Studzinski said.
The nuns within the project have breached their usual dress code, and dressed up as prostitutes to rescue the victims of sex slavery. The nuns also buy children, who are sold into slavery.
Though this deed is done with nothing but good intensions, several anti-human trafficking help organizations are against Talitha Kum’s methods. Founder of Prevent Human Trafficking Christina Arnold have stated that “When you buy the victim, you just drive up the cost for the brothel owners or traffickers trying to sell in the future.”
“It sounds like a good idea but it’s actually a ludicrous one,” Arnold added, claiming the methods of Talitha Kum is adding to the number of human trafficking victims.
As of now the group holds more than 1,100 nuns. “These sisters do not trust anyone. They do not trust governments, they do not trust corporations, and they don’t trust the local police,” Studzinski said, “In some cases they cannot trust male clergy. They work in brothels. No one knows they are there.”
The Talitha Kum works only within their own network of sisters to be sure, no one messes with their intentions and operations.
Besides helping sex slaves out of their living nightmares, the Talitha Kum also works in countries such as Africa, Brazil, India and the Philippines. These countries are market of child slavery, where parents sell their children to slavers.
Translated from Aramaic Talitha Kum means Arise Children.
Image via Flickr/FaceMePLS
