Sr. Gabriella Bottani, a Comboni missionary and the international coordinator of Talitha Kum, the worldwide network of consecrated women against human trafficking, was honored as a Hero in the 2019 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report Launch Ceremony hosted by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on 20 June 2019, at the U.S. Department of State, Washington, D.C.
U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See Callista Gingrich said: “Sr. Gabriella’s dedication to combatting human trafficking has saved countless lives.” She then went on to recall the crucial role played by the missionary in Brazil, where she started by serving vulnerable children and women in disadvantaged areas.
Sr. Gabriella was at the ceremony in representation of the over 2,000 consecrated women involved in anti-trafficking activities, as well as the children, women and men suffering from this crime. The acknowledgment arrives at a very important time for the Talitha Kum Network, which will be celebrating its 10th anniversary this year by holding a General Assembly from 21-27 September 2019. Over 90 participants from77 countries worldwide will be participating in it.
Accepting the honorific, Sr. Gabriella invited the members of the audience to “courageously raise the bar, and our dreams, in order to open new pathways toward freedom.”