By Sr Molly Fernandes sfn

Panaji, Aug 14: Amrat Talitha Kum India Network held Goa Regional Assembly in Goa for Goa Amrat Talitha Kum Sisters on August 13, at Jesuit Provincial House, Panjim, Goa, on the theme 'Invisible Chains - Human trafficking and violation of human rights'.

The meeting’s theme, 'Invisible Chains', highlighted the subtle but devastating psychological and social manipulation used by traffickers. In all 21 religious congregations participated in a focused effort to combat human trafficking.

AMRAT Talitha Kum India, a national net-work of consecrated women is a unit of Talitha Kum international network of consecrated life against trafficking in persons to combat human trafficking and all forms of slavery / enslavement.

The consecrated women through their network process, commit to prevent, protect, promote and restore human dignity and human rights of the marginalized in collaboration and solidarity with equally motivated organizations, institutions and individuals to take every step to work towards ending human trafficking.

Opening and key addresses

The event’s proceedings began with a prayer dance, which served as the opening prayer, setting a tone of reflection and spiritual commitment to the mission. This was followed by a symbolic lamp lighting ceremony, which represented the mission to dispel the darkness of ignorance, fear, and injustice surrounding anti human trafficking by the executive members and Goa executive members which included the president Sr Meera RGS and executive member Sr Crina SFN

• Sr Dhanam HCM, secretary of Goa Region, opened the meeting. She stressed the importance of the network’s mission to revive hope, echoing a successful initiative in Kolkata. She emphasized that Amrat is eradicating all forms of modern slavery, from human trafficking to the exploitation of daily wage workers. Sr Dhanam urged the congregations present to recognize the silent suffering happening in Goa and to act with courage, referencing the biblical call, “I heard the cry of my people says the Lord”.

• Sudiksha S Naik, from the anti-human trafficking unit, provided a factual presentation on human trafficking. She detailed the various forms of modern slavery, including forced labour, sexual exploitation, and organ harvesting. Sudiksha was introduced by Sr Crina SFN the national team executive member.

• Sr Meera RGS, president of Amrat Talitha Kum India Network, was formally introduced by Sr Amala PBVM. A token of appreciation was then presented to Sr Meera by Sr Jyothi RGS, secretary of Goa region. Following this, Sr Meera gave a compelling address. She spoke about the organization’s firm stance against trafficking and advised participants to be “cunning as a serpent and calm as a dove” when dealing with these sensitive issues. She challenged the community to consider their response to Christ's call and questioned why Goa had been less forthcoming in this fight. Her speech concluded with a strong call for networking, collaboration, and active participation from all present.

Deanery-wise group discussions

A crucial part of the day’s programme was the deanery-wise group discussions. Participants were divided into local groups to discuss the specific challenges of human trafficking in their respective areas. This approach was designed to facilitate the creation of decentralized, community-level action plans that are more effective and sustainable.
Action plan and concluding remarks

The meeting’s focus was shifted from simply raising awareness to active prevention. Discussions centered on how to prevent the migration of vulnerable individuals into exploitative jobs and how to build community resilience against trafficking. Sr Myra HC, coordinator of Goa region, presented a report using a PowerPoint, encouraged the religious to be active in their deaneries and to utilize AMRAT Talitha Kum for resource persons to conduct programmes.

The meeting was well compered by Sr Lourenca FC and concluded with a vote of thanks with a summary of the regional AMRAT report, signifying a collective commitment to the mission's humanitarian goals.