Monday 30th June marked the 10th anniversary of Caritas Bakhita House, the Diocese of Westminster’s safe house for survivors of trafficking and exploitation.
Started as a partnership between the Church and the local authorities, Caritas Bakhita House offers round-the-clock support to women escaping Human Trafficking and Modern Slavery, through personalised support programmes, trauma-informed care and in-house therapeutic activities. Since opening in 2015, the centre has been home to 214 women and 18 babies from 50 different countries.
The safe house also assists with accessing medical and pyschological support, seeking legal advice and asylum, as well as supporting guests to bring perpetrators to justice. To date, guests of Caritas Bakhita House have contributed to securing over 223 years of prison sentences for traffickers.
To mark the anniversary, Cardinal Vincent Nichols celebrated a Mass of Thanksgiving in Westmisnter Cathedral, attended by the centre’s staff, volunteers, supporters and well-wishers. In his homily, Cardinal Nichols noted:
‘If we look at the record, the achievements of [Caritas] Bakhita House; it’s a big family. It sustains people after they no longer stay; it’s helped, protected and nurtured their children. It’s built women with confidence to testify and therefore to have the traders in human flesh behind bars. That’s growth, that’s fruitfulness, that’s healing.’
Over the weekend, Caritas Bakhita House marked the anniversary with a lively celebration attended by past and present guests, staff and volunteers. It was a particularly joyful occasion thanks to the presence of several children born to women while staying at the centre, who are now also part of the family.
Karen Anstiss, Head of Caritas Bakhita House, added:
We are thrilled to mark such an important milestone in our fight against human trafficking. The saying “if walls could talk” is especially true of Caritas Bakhita House, where every day of freedom is an achievement for our women. Whether it’s finally feeling loved after years of abuse, or developing skills for independent living, the last 10 years have brought countless reminders — big and small — of just how life-changing the work that goes on here is.
Find out more about Caritas Bakhita House here, or read the centre’s Impact Report.
