Theme of the 11th Edition of IDPAAHT 2025: “Ambassadors of Hope: Together Against Human Trafficking”
The commemoration of the International Day of Prayer and Awareness Against Human Trafficking (IDPAAHT) took place during the week of February 2–8, 2025, culminating on February 8th. The theme of the 11th edition of IDPAAHT this Jubilee year of Hope is “Ambassadors of Hope: Together Against Human Trafficking”, this is inspired by Pope Francis’ call to “be pilgrims of peace and apostles of hope.”
Since its establishment by Pope Francis in 2015, IDPAAHT has been observed worldwide on February 8th, on the Feast of Saint Josephine Bakhita, a Sudanese nun, who as a child had the traumatic experience of being a victim of human trafficking. She’s the Patron Saint of Sudan and human-trafficking survivors. This is a universal symbol of the Catholic Church’s commitment to eradicating human trafficking and modern slavery. Pope Francis has also inspired this year’s theme for the Jubilee 2025: “During the Holy Year, we are called to be tangible signs of hope for our brothers and sisters experiencing difficulties of any kind” (Spes non confundit, 10). This year’s IDPAAHT aims to address the horrific global reality of human trafficking through concrete actions.
As the international Church observes Jubilee 2025, the event’s promoters, the Unions of Superiors and Superiors General of Religious Institutes (UISG/USG), together with partner organizations organized and invited everyone to participate in a week-long pilgrimage of hope to end human trafficking. Over 100 participants from around the world—including young people, lawyers, activists, survivors, migrants, displaced persons, and public figures from the arts and film industries gathered in Rome in person or join virtually in the scheduled events from February 2 to 8, 2025. As Christians, we are called to support in this important awareness-raising event on the reality of human trafficking. According to Pope Francis, ‘in this jubilee year, let us also walk together, as ‘pilgrims of hope’, on the road against trafficking.’
PRAYER:
Let us pray: Saint Josephine Bakhita, you were sold into slavery as a child and endured unspeakable hardship and suffering. Once liberated from your physical enslavement, you found true redemption in your encounter with Christ and His Church. O Saint Josephine Bakhita, assist all those who are entrapped in slavery; Intercede on their behalf with the God of Mercy so that the chains of their captivity will be broken. May God Himself free all those who have been threatened, wounded, or mistreated by the trade and trafficking of human beings. Bring comfort to survivors of this slavery and teach them to look to Jesus as an example of hope and faith so that they may find healing from their wounds. We ask you to pray for us and to intercede on behalf of us all: that we may not fall into indifference, that we may open our eyes and be able to see the misery and wounds of our many brothers and sisters deprived of their dignity and their freedom, and may we hear their cry for help. Amen 🙏🏽
St. Josephine Bakhita, Virgin (Patron Saint of Sudan and human-trafficking survivors), whose love and hope transformed the wounds of slavery into forgiveness and freedom ~ Pray for us🙏