The spotlight was on the exceptional contribution of Catholic religious sisters to the anti-trafficking movement at the inaugural Sisters Anti-Trafficking Awards, or SATAs.

The SATAs are co-hosted by the Arise Foundation, the Conrad H. Hilton Foundation and the International Union of Superiors General, which represents about 600,000 women from 80 countries. Organized for the first time, the SATAs brought together 200 people from across and beyond the anti-trafficking and Catholic spheres.

The event in London honoured Sister Seli Thomas of the Sisters of Mary Immaculate from India, Sister Patricia Ebegbulem of the Sisters of St. Louis from Nigeria and Sister Francoise Jiranonda of the Sisters of St. Paul de Chartres from Thailand.

The three women “have demonstrated courage, creativity, collaboration and achievement in the protection of their communities from human trafficking,” Arise said.

Former British Prime Minister Theresa May delivered a keynote address stressing the importance of front-line leadership, including Catholic sisters and survivors of trafficking, in the fight against this exploitation. May spoke after her recent launch of the Global Commission on Modern Slavery & Human Trafficking, which she will chair.

May discussed the ability of sisters to spot vulnerabilities and build better lives for survivors. “Local groups are key to eradicating slavery,” she said. “We also need to provide better opportunities for those who have survived slavery,” May added.

In her keynote address, she also drew attention to the importance of listening to the voices of survivors of trafficking when making policies and developing business practices.

British athlete and Olympic gold medalist Mo Farah, who last year revealed he is a survivor of human trafficking, said during the ceremony that “while many people feel powerless against this crime and look the other way, Catholic sisters are doing the work daily, bravely, humbly, across the communities all over the world.”

“Whatever faith or values we hold, we can all look to those women for wisdom and inspiration. And that is why I’m here today,” emphasized the distance runner, who also is a gold medalist in World and European championships.

Sister Patricia, from Lagos, Nigeria, won the Human Dignity Award for lifetime achievement in addressing exploitation. She established and is running a shelter for victims of human trafficking, organizing support services for returning survivors of sex trafficking. She runs mass awareness programs across high-risk rural areas and schools and is a national leader on the issue of trafficking.

“Stopping trafficking is an uphill task, but I will not say it is impossible,” Sister Patricia said in a video produced by Arise. “Because with God, nothing is impossible.”