Sr. Abby Avelino is a Catholic Religious Sister who belongs to the Maryknoll Sisters of Saint Dominic. Sr. Abby earned a degree in Engineering and worked as a mechanical/systems engineer before entering missionary religious life. She is currently missioned in Japan as a pastoral worker where she has accompanied many migrants from all over the world, particularly migrant women from the Philippines. She has met numerous women who have been deceived and exploited by traffickers.

These encounters with human trafficking victims triggered something in her heart that moved her to become involved in the anti-trafficking ministry. She is currently the coordinator of Talitha Kum Japan, which advocates for the rights and dignity of migrants and refugees. She is also the Talitha Kum regional coordinator for Asia, where her role is to understand and respond to the needs of national networks in 16 countries across the continent. Talitha Kum is an international network of Religious Life against trafficking in persons.