ST Josephine Bakhita, the patron saint of victims of human trafficking and modern slavery, will be honoured in Brisbane on her feast day.
Born in 1869 in Sudan, she was kidnapped and sold into slavery, enduring unimaginable suffering.
The St Bakhita community will celebrate her feast on Sunday, February 8, at St Pius X Catholic Church, 69 Golda Ave in Salisbury, from 12pm onwards.
“St Bakhita’s life was marked with trauma and slavery but transformed by faith and forgiveness,” St Bakhita Pastoral Council member Mary Kenyi said.
“It offers a profound symbol of hope, resilience and humility.”
According to a recent UN report, victims from Africa were the most widely trafficked group – accounting for 31 per cent of cross-border trafficking flows.
“From 2020 to 2023, there were more than 200,000 detected victims globally, which is just the tip of the iceberg,” it said.
Australian Federal Police saw a 10 per cent increase in reports of human trafficking and modern slavery in 2024-25, with forced marriage and exit trafficking making up the bulk of the reports.
Ms Kenyi said the feast day was a time to reflect on the many situations of violence and injustices affecting millions of people around the world and especially in Sudan.
“We do this by stopping for a few moments and saying a prayer to God,” she said.
It was a time to focus on victims of these crimes “in prayer and actions”, Ms Kenyi said.
The feast day of St Bakhita is also the International Day of Prayer and Awareness Against Human Trafficking.
This year is the twelfth edition of this day, with the theme ‘Peace begins with dignity: A global call to end human trafficking’.
Pope Leo XIV reminds us of the importance of respecting one of the fundamental principles of the individual: human dignity, understood as an essential pillar for building authentic peace.
The feast of St Bakhita “brings diverse people together to support victims of trafficking and celebrate the contribution of Sudanese communities to the Church”.
“Inspired by St Josephine Bakhita herself, one thing I hope participants would take away is the power of forgiveness and the capacity to find peace and joy regardless of the past wounds,” Ms Kenyi said.
