8 February is the World Day of Prayer and Reflection Against Trafficking in Persons. This year 2022 an online prayer marathon starts in Oceania, crossing the globe to conclude in North America. The Focolare is among those active against human exploitation. “In our area there’s a lot of prostitution. The Pope’s invitation to go towards the existential peripheries to seek out the most vulnerable, needy and forgotten, encouraged us to approach those involved in prostitution. Our aim is simply to accompany them, be close to them, make them feel we love each of them as a person”. Laura Diaz, a Volunteer in the Focolare Movement, is one of eight women forming the “Juntas en camino” (“Together On Our Way”) group, launched in 2013 from the parish of the Holy Eucharist in the Palermo quarter of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Every day they dedicate themselves to tackling prostitution by taking care of those caught up in it. “By serving,” she continues, “we receive so much more than we give. Something has changed within us: our mentality, our attitude without prejudices. This change has affected some of our families too. We look at the people we approach as people whose dignity has been violated and whose dignity can be restored”. This and many other testimonies from over 30 countries will be presented during the online Prayer Marathon on 8 February. Entitled “The Power of Care”, organized to coincide with the World Day of Prayer and Reflection Against Trafficking in Persons, the prayer marathon runs from 9:00 to 17:00 (CET) passing from Oceania, Asia and the Middle East to Africa, Europe, South America and finally North America. It will be streamed live in five languages (English, French, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish) on the website www.preghieracontrotratta.org Marcela Villares is a Focolarina living in Argentina who strives every day to combat the tragedy of trafficking. She works with the members of the Episcopal Commission for Migrants and Refugees of the Argentinian Bishops’ Conference as their anti-trafficking

coordinator. “We’ve understood the importance of working to inform children and youth on these issues,” she explains. “For several years we’ve been offering formation linked to the dangers of such trafficking, to all the dioceses in our country, especially through schools. It’s been very effective, especially among children and young people, in sowing the seeds of awareness, as well as in the teachers and directors who have accepted it as a pedagogical tool for the years to come”. As a result of this experience, a booklet aimed at 6 to 17 year olds has been published including teaching activities and games on the topic. Marcela continues, “This year, in the Diocese of Orano, north Argentina, at the border with Salta – a region at high risk from this crime – we’ve been able to supply formation programs and materials to four schools, sponsored by a group of friends of Associazione Mondo Unito (AMU) in Luxembourg. The Vicar for Education has asked us to extend this formation to other Catholic schools and has introduced our program to directors of public schools too”. This in turn has generated media interest. The President of the regional Journalists’ Circle proposed distributing the formation and awareness-raising material to journalists, to doctors and nurses in local hospitals, and to all transport workers. A university is planning a conference on the issue. “The pandemic has caused an increase in trafficking, has heightened the vulnerability of those most at risk and has led to a rise in gender inequality,” declares Sister Gabriella Bottani, event Coordinator. “All this must be faced with courage. We women, as a result, must take on a leading role in promoting a new economic model based on the power of care. The violence caused by exploitation can be transformed with gestures of care and solidarity.” The prayer marathon on 8 February 2022 is coordinated by Talitha Kum, the international anti-trafficking network of over 3,000 nuns, friends and partners, and is being promoted by the International Union of Superiors General, in partnership with the Migrants and Refugees Section of the Dicastery for Service to Integral Human Development, Caritas Internationalis, the World Union of Catholic Women’s Organisations, the Focolare Movement, the Jesuit Refugee Service and many other organisations around the world.

Lorenzo Russo