We've had the privilege of building relationships with incredibly passionate people in different countries who have started shelters with rehabilitation under the auspices of Talita.
Our shelters Villa Talita and Lilla Talita are located in Stockholm. When Talita was founded in 2004, we could only offer trauma therapy and eventually also education, but in 2012 we got our first shelter and since then we have offered our target group both emergency shelter for a short time and a one-year rehabilitation program. Most people who come to us are referred by the police and social services in connection with their outreach work.
Villa Talita is located in a quiet area with an inviting garden and consists of five rooms and a kitchen. There is room for four women at a time. Lilla Talita is a sheltered apartment for two women at a time. We also have release apartments that allow us to extend the program for another year.
In Mongolia, our Mongolian employees started a local Talita organization in 2013. Before that, there was no NGO or governmental actor in the country that offered long-term support and rehabilitation in sheltered housing for the target group, despite the fact that human trafficking and prostitution are major problems in the country. Children are transported from Mongolia to China where they are forced into human trafficking and young women, who go to the big city to find work, end up in prostitution.
Talita Mongolia is still the only one of its kind in the country and is the first to be licensed to work with sexually exploited children. Talita Mongolia applies the Talita method and the work is financed entirely by Talita in Sweden.
Romania is one of the most common countries of origin for prostitution and human trafficking in Europe. The country has several NGOs that work against human trafficking for sexual purposes and help the victims. It was therefore natural for us to search for an existing local organization, when the idea of making an effort in Romania came up.
A survey (Breaking Free) of existing organizations in the country led to a collaboration between Talita and FREE, which not only addresses women who have been exploited in human trafficking, but also those who have been exploited in domestic prostitution, in strip clubs and in the street environment. Today, FREE runs the shelter Casa Talita, which applies the Talita method and is financed by Talita Sweden.
In 2019, we came into contact with four amazing women in Nairobi, Kenya, who were working day and night to rescue young women exploited in the sex trade in the city's slums. Together with their organization Maisha (which means Life), we founded the 'Maisha Talita' shelter, which offers protection and rehabilitation for girls and women.
When a girl is found in a brothel or in street prostitution by the police, the chances of her being taken to a safe place where she can get help and support are minimal. Society thinks that she is to blame. We wanted to change this and today our colleagues help 10-15 girls every year to break free from the sex industry and start a new life.
In the Philippines, the need for help among children and adolescents exploited in prostitution is enormous. They are almost always street children and there is rarely a relative or other person who cares for them. In 2021, Talita started working on the island of Cebu to help children exploited in the sex trade.
Since then, our colleagues run Talita centers that focus on providing shelter, food, education and rehabilitation to children and adolescents. The goal in the future, when resources are available, is to open a shelter with Talita's rehabilitation program, but already now 10-15 children receive comprehensive support every year at the center and in addition to that we reach about 80 children in our outreach activities.
Colombia is a country with major challenges. The gap between rich and poor is among the largest in the world. Many street children survive through begging, petty crime and prostitution. Armed conflicts are commonplace and a single mother has no way to support herself and her child on a regular salary. In recent years, human trafficking from Colombia to Sweden has increased dramatically.
Medellín is the city between the mountains, once known for its extremely high murder rate and drug trafficking, but thanks to the authorities' fight against crime, it has been transformed into an attractive tourist destination. However, with tourism comes other problems - such as an increased demand to buy sex. According to some sources, 9 out of 10 sex buyers are foreigners.
In the spring of 2024, Swedish police and social services brought two Colombian women to Villa Talita. They had been exploited in prostitution here in Sweden and longed for a different life. After completing their rehabilitation, they returned to their home country with a strong vision to start Talita. A year later, we visited them and our partner Ankarstiftelsen and today we have a whole team of employees (including our two former clients) who together run Taltia Colombia in Medellín.
