ABOUT CONPAHT TALITHA KUM GHANA

CONPAHT Talitha Kum Ghana is a nationwide network of consecrated men and women—Catholic priests, brothers, and sisters from Institutes of Consecrated Life—dedicated to ending human trafficking in Ghana, promoting human dignity, and eradicating all types of exploitation. Talitha aligns with the Catholic social teaching on human dignity, whereby there is a brutal denial of human dignity, thus noticing that “human trafficking is a crime against humanity. ”                         (Declaration “Dignitas infinita” on Human Dignity, 2024). As part of the Talitha Kum Global Network, the name of the organization, Talitha Kum, comes from the Aramaic phrase “Talitha Koum”, meaning “Little girl, I say to you, arise! Phrase drawn from the Gospel of Mark 5:41, where Jesus, in a moment of divine compassion, raises a young girl from death. This reflects our mission to bring hope and restoration to the excluded and marginalized of society.

Talitha Kum Ghana draws its inspiration and strengths from the Catholic Social Teaching in its works, which includes prevention, protection, rehabilitation, and advocacy, focusing on the restoration of the whole person. Talitha Kum Ghana drew its inspiration from Catholic Social Teaching, which states:

Human trafficking must also be counted among the grave violations of human dignity. While it is not a new phenomenon, it has taken on tragic dimensions before our eyes, which is why Pope Francis has denounced it in particularly emphatic terms: “I reaffirm here that the ‘trade in people’ is a vile activity, a disgrace to our societies that claim to be civilized! Exploiters and clients at all levels should make a serious examination of conscience both in the first person and before God! Today, the Church is renewing her urgent appeal that the dignity and centrality of every individual always be safeguarded, with respect for fundamental rights, as her social teaching emphasizes. She asks that these rights really be extended for millions of men and women on every continent, wherever they are not recognized. In a world in which a lot is said about rights, how often is human dignity actually trampled upon! In a world in which so much is said about rights, it seems that the only thing that has any rights is money (Declaration “Dignitas infinita” on Human Dignity, 2024).

CONPAHT Talitha Kum Ghana, being part and parcel of the Universal Church, is committed to relentlessly fighting various forms of trafficking and organized crime. They aim to combat offenses such as human organ and tissue trafficking, the sexual exploitation of minors, forced labor (including prostitution), and the drug trade. Ref. the 2024 Declaration, Dignitas infinita. Thus, Talitha Kum also works to raise awareness, emphasizing that human trafficking is an offense against humanity that deeply damages the victim’s freedom and dignity. The Church, through Talitha Kum’s continuous efforts to end all forms of abuse, originates from this commitment, starting with addressing issues within its own organization.