Catholic Charities program aims to prevent trafficking by educating youth

Catholic Charities of Louisville’s Bakhita Empowerment Initiative is helping youth across the Commonwealth learn about human trafficking and what makes young people vulnerable. "We work to give them the tools to increase their protective factors so they can recognize if they are in danger,” said Tamar Israel, the initiative’s prevention education coordinator. 

The Bakhita initiative is named for St. Josephine Bakhita, a Sudanese woman who was enslaved in childhood and later served as a religious sister. She was canonized in 2000. The initiative assists survivors of trafficking and aims to help combat it in Kentucky. Israel takes her prevention curriculum to schools and other organizations that serve young people.