True peace is born from the recognition of the dignity of every person. This is the heart of the message behind the Online Pilgrimage of Prayer and Awareness Against Human Trafficking, scheduled for Friday, 6 February 2026, on the occasion of the International Day of Prayer and Awareness Against Human Trafficking.
The initiative, which will be live-streamed in five languages from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. (CET), will virtually unite communities and ecclesial realities from all over the world — from Oceania to Asia, from the Middle East to Africa, from Europe to the Americas — in a shared journey of prayer and reflection.
The theme chosen for this edition, “Peace begins with dignity: a global call to end human trafficking,” powerfully recalls the urgency of confronting one of the deepest wounds of our time.
Within this horizon, the witness of Saint Josephine Bakhita finds its natural place. Marked from childhood by the experience of slavery, she became, through her encounter with Christ, an icon of freedom, forgiveness, and hope. For this very reason, the Church now recognizes her as the patron saint of victims of trafficking and of all forms of oppression.
Alongside the online pilgrimage, prayer also becomes a daily path through the Novena to Saint Josephine Bakhita, offered as a tool for spiritual accompaniment and awareness-raising.
The text of the novena — available in Italian and English — invites participants to be guided by the life and words of the saint in a nine-day journey that passes through the great wounds of contemporary history and entrusts them to God.
Each day is dedicated to a specific intention: from modern forms of slavery to abductions, from violence against women to vocations, from beauty to faith, and finally to the Virgin Mary, the gift of joy, and every chain that still imprisons humanity today.
It is a path of prayer that unites contemplation and responsibility, remembrance of suffering and openness to hope, recalling that — as the title of the novena affirms — light always returns.
This proposal fully reflects the spirit of the World Day established by Pope Francis: to pray, to inform, and to act, so that no one may remain indifferent in the face of human trafficking. Prayer, in fact, is not an escape from reality, but a قوة that opens our eyes and moves our steps toward greater justice.
Following the example of Saint Bakhita, who transformed a story of violence into a journey of inner freedom, the online pilgrimage and the novena thus become an invitation to safeguard the dignity of every person and to build peace, beginning in the heart and translating it into concrete choices.
At the school of Saint Bakhita
For the Canossian Family, this day has a deeply charismatic meaning.
Saint Josephine Bakhita, an African woman, a former slave, a freed person and later a Daughter of Charity, is today the patron saint of all victims of human trafficking. Her life is an incarnated Gospel: a story of pain transformed into hope, of chains broken by the power of God’s love.
Bakhita never stopped believing in human dignity, even when it was denied to her.
Today, her voice still resounds as a prophetic appeal:
“You are not merchandise. You are not numbers. You are beloved sons and daughters.”
Following her example, the Canossian Family is called to stand beside those wounded by violence, abuse and exploitation, bringing light where darkness seems to prevail.
A pilgrimage that embraces the world
The Online Pilgrimage of Prayer and Awareness is not just an event, but a shared spiritual journey.
Throughout the three-hour connection, testimonies, moments of prayer, reflections and symbolic gestures will alternate, reminding us that trafficking is not a distant problem, but a reality that challenges us all.
The slogan of the initiative —
“Peace Begins with Dignity” —
is also a program for life: to recognize, protect and defend every person, especially the most vulnerable.
An invitation to walk together
As the Canossian Family, we welcome this call not only through participation, but through a lifestyle rooted in justice, care and compassion.
Let us unite in prayer,
open our hearts to awareness,
and allow ourselves to be guided by Saint Bakhita, a woman free in her heart, so that dignity may once again become the name of peace.
Event details
Friday, February 6th, 2026
11:00 am – 3:00 pm (CET)
Global connection
Live streaming in 5 languages
English LINK
