The third edition of the Sisters’ Anti-Trafficking Awards (SATAs) took place on November 21, 2025, celebrating three Catholic Sisters, as representatives of their congregations and networks, who have demonstrated exceptional courage, creativity, collaboration, and achievement in the protection of their communities from human trafficking.

• Sr. Benjamine Nanga Kimala, SMC (Comboni Missionary Sisters), from Chad, was given the Common Good Award, for courage and creativity in addressing exploitation. 
• Sr. Margaret Ng, RSJ (Sisters of Saint Joseph of the Sacred Heart), from Australia, received the Servant Leadership Award, for excellence in network-building. 
• Sr. Martha Pelloni, CMT (Carmelitas Misioneras Teresianas), from Argentina, was awarded the Human Dignity Award, for lifetime achievement in addressing exploitation. 

Each laureate insisted on how human trafficking was linked to structural injustices and vulnerabilities that need to be addressed urgently, and how women were particularly targeted. “To stay indifferent in front of such suffering - it’s impossible [...]. Like every human being, women deserve respect and dignity. Equal opportunity is not a favor. It is a matter of justice and humanity,” Sr. Benjamine Kimala said. 

Calling upon every person of goodwill to make a difference, Sr. Margaret Ng declared: “The question to ask is: are you eating, using or wearing somebody’s misery? No matter who and where you are, you can make a difference in the lives of people who have been enslaved.”  

The laureates also spoke of the survivors that they have met and accompanied, whose stories continue to guide their work. “I’ll never forget Estelita. She was 15 years old, silenced by fear, trapped by those who were supposed to protect her. [...] Her voice broke the silence and started a movement of healing”,  Sr. Martha Pelloni expressed. 

Highlights of the event

The awards ceremony, held at the Pamodzi Hotel in Lusaka under the theme “Faith and Leadership United: Together to End Violence”, began at 5 pm CAT, with light refreshments and live music. The official ceremony followed from 6 to 8 pm CAT, and concluded with a seated dinner. 

Facilitated by the talented Paddy Mukando and Kunda Mando, the awards event was introduced by Cardinal Stephen Brislin, Archbishop of Johannesburg, in a video address: “Tonight’s theme, “Faith and Leadership United: Together to End Violence,” speaks powerfully to the moment we find ourselves in. It is a call not only to believe, but to act. Not only to recognize dignity, but to defend it. Not only to hope for change, but to be instruments of it.” 

Global significance

A roundtable with expert speakers and advocates was then facilitated, offering global perspectives, with particular attention to the voices and leadership of women. The speakers included Pauline Akinyi Juma (Kenya), founder and director of Rebirth of a Queen, Sr. Rosemary Nyirumbe (Uganda), Director of a shelter, Sr. Kayula Lesa (Zambia), Coordinator of Talitha Kum Zambia (TAKUZA), and Kevin Highland (UK), Former UK Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner. 

This year’s SATAs took place around two significant dates, underscoring its global call for awareness and action: the G20 Summit in South Africa on November 22–23, 2025, and the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women on November 25, 2025. In alignment with these milestones, the event amplified advocacy for structural change to address the root causes of human trafficking and strengthen the protection of at-risk individuals, victims, and survivors.

Biography of the awarded sisters