The fight against human trafficking
GRACE AS JUSTICE Volu m e 3, Issu e 5, SEPTEM BER, 2017
equ i p
|
ed u cate
|
i n sp i r e
S p ot ligh t on... S out h er n and S out h east
A sia Fami l y
Th e
Exodu s Road
Fi rst
XP M issions/ Extreme Love M inistries
Hope of
Freedom NightLight
Ch ild Rescu e Nepal Hope Rest or ed In dia Rem em ber Nh u Tr af f ick Jam ...an d m or e!
The New Abolitionists New documentary coming soon!
Volume 3 Issue 5 * Editor: Cindy Powell Simple Faith Press * PO Box 1614 *Redlands, CA 92373
CONTENTS Editor's Corner
5
Child Rescue Nepal
21
An Interview with Joanna Bega
New Column: Exodus to Flourish
7
"Arohi"
Kezia Hatfield
Family First
9
Andrea Aasen, XP Missions/Extreme Love Ministries
Remember Nhu: Purveyors of Dreams and Hope for the Future
Hope for Justice, Cambodia
The Fiercest Battle: Why The Exodus Road Focuses on Asia
29
Traffick Jam: School of Freedom
31
Tyrelle Smith
15
The ASISH Project
33
Dr. Vandana Kanth
Annie Dieselberg, NightLight
Scrapbook
Laura Meyer, Hope Restored India
11
Lynn Courtney
Hope of Freedom
25
18
The New Abolitionists Christina Zorich
37
EDITOR'S CORNER
st il l remember t he monkeys swinging in t he t rees. It was my favorite part of the drive from Bangkok, where we lived at the time, to Pattaya, a beach resort in the gulf of Thailand. It was less than a two-hour drive, but to my eight-year-old self it seemed much longer. Spotting the monkeys was always a welcomed diversion.
I
Pattaya itself was a great diversion, too. Living overseas was tough on my family, but those occasional
escapes to the beach were a wonderful reprieve. I have fond memories from our times there? times of family fun and childhood innocence. Flash forward to the present. Pattaya is now known as a place where innocence is stolen. Today, many eight-year-olds in Pattaya are bought and sold multiple times a night? trapped in the horrors of sex slavery. Rather than being a place of reprieve, it is a place of bondage. It is a place from
which many have given up all hope of escape. Obviously, that is not okay. It should never be okay with any of us. Many countries in Southeast Asia? particularly Thailand and Cambodia*? are widely known for their poor track record in the fight against human trafficking. Places in Southern Asia, like India and Nepal* don?t fare much better? in fact, it is estimated that nearly half of the world's trafficking victims are in India. Whether it is in the extreme exploitation of
* NOTE: All of the countries listed in this paragraph are considered Tier 2 on the most recent Trafficking in Persons report. This means the governments in these nations are making strides in meeting minimal international standards to protect victims; however, the scope of the problem is still enormous.
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Grace as Justice, Vol 3, Issue 5
the poor through forced labor, or in the complete degradation and dehumanization of sex slavery, there are literally millions of victims from, and in, these regions. Despite the staggering numbers and devastating stories, it?s not all bad news. In f act , t here is a l ot of good news t o cel ebrat e f rom t hese regions. And that is what this issue of GAJ is all about. There are many organizations and individuals who are making a difference. Whether it is through outreach in the red-light districts, providing alternate employment to adults in the sex industry, creating safe places for rescued children to heal and be restored, preventing at-risk children from being trafficked in the first place, or by educating and raising
Grace as Justice, Vol 3, Issue 5
awareness, many are doing what they can to change the landscape and bring hope to some of the darkest places on the planet. This issue of GAJ is especially meaningful to me personally. Not only did I live in Southeast Asia as a child, but as an adult I?ve had the privilege of meeting and even partnering with some of the organizations and individuals who have contributed to this issue. These are the often unseen and unknown heroes who spend their lives on the frontlines? giving their all for the sake of these priceless treasures hidden in darkness. I hope their stories encourage and inspire you. Even more, I hope their stories provoke you to
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action. All of us have a part to play and everyone can do something. Each article contains website and contact information (where applicable). I urge you to further explore the great work these organizations are doing and jump in when and where you are able. Please also check out the inset on page 14 to learn about some of the ways you can contribute toward the mission of GAJ to aid us in bringing the stories of these unseen heroes into the light.
Cindy Powel l Editor, Grace as Justice
Ex o du s to
Flourish by Kezia Hat field, M.A., LMFT
W
elcome to
the new
column
through safe intimacy in families and
?Exodus to Flourish?! A place to
communities who love Jesus. We are
go deeper on topics related to
expectant as we move deeper into God?s
healing complex trauma, the church?s role,
original design for His family.
and the many questions that arise when
The question posed now is this: How do we
journeying from Egypt into promise. I am
bridge the culture gap between trauma and
the
church?
founder
of
a
nonprofit,
Flourish
After
years
of
providing
International, with the mission of equipping
professional care to this population, we
churches
supporting
have seen the majority of women who have
survivors of sexual exploitation through the
been domestically prostituted coming from
process of healing and integration into
families
community life. Our vision comes from
complicit in their exploitation. The lifelong
Psalm 92:12-15: ?Those who are planted in
need for family and attached relationship is
the house of the Lord shall flourish in the
often what keeps women in a lifestyle of
courts of our God. They shall still bear fruit
abuse. Many who have left say they had to
in old age; they shall
be fresh and
reach a point where the risk and pain of
flourishing, to declare that the Lord is
being alone was better than the pain of
upright; He is my rock, and there is no
staying
unrighteousness in Him.?
families.
We believe the church is called to lead the
In slavery, a number of ways are used to keep a person?s loyalty. One common method is exploiting their inherent need for familial relationship. We crave connection ? the experience of being close with someone
and
families
in
movement of justice and seek to empower the Body of Christ through trauma-informed trainings and professional support. Healing, sustainability, and maturity take place -7-
who
in
were
either
relationship
absent
with
or
abusive
Grace as Justice, Vol 3, Issue 5
and being known ? yet in slavery the
holistic needs of ourselves and of other
connections are not real or free. Love can
people? What if the process of trauma
only
recovery was a norm in our families? What if
exist
where
choice
exists.
In
prostitution, sometimes a girl will decide to
our
stay, not
is
sensitive? imparting hope that there are
because she feels she
others who can truly understand us? I hope
belongs somewhere with someone. A sense
you?ll pray with me for this to become more
of belonging is often the closest thing
of a reality. Family by family, church by
known to feeling loved. Regardless of how
church. Where people of all ages and
dysfunctional or abusive a family may be, a
backgrounds feel they belong in a way that
cult may be, a gang may be, a prostitution
is mutually chosen and free.
because she wants what
happening, but
ring may be ? people stay because they want
language
was
informed
and
We need root systems with God and with each other. We were made to live in healthy families. Growth and shifts in culture take time, but with patient persistence ? we believe the church will begin to look more like real family. Which looks just like Jesus.
to belong and are afraid they may not belong anywhere else.
What if authentic belonging was the culture in churches across the world? What if people were equipped to connect to the
Aft er sev eral years of experience w it h t raum a and recov ery, Kezia believ es healt hy fam ilies are t he linchpin t o all hum an grow t h and rest ored design. She receiv ed her M.A. in Clinical Psychology from Azusa Pacific Univ ersit y and is a licensed Marriage and Fam ily Therapist . She has w orked exclusiv ely w it h surv iv ors of sex t rafficking and t heir support syst em s, w hile also dev eloping and ov erseeing a resident ial aft ercare program . Through t he adopt ion of her daught er, Kezia has seen Jesus?glory in fam ily and t he rest orat ion He brings t hrough t he process. Her desire is t o nurt ure t he healing int egrat ion of indiv iduals, fam ilies, and com m unit ies ? t hat w hat w ere once cycles of abuse are t urned int o blessings for fut ure generat ions.
Edit or's Not e: Exodus to Flourish is one of several new regular columns and features GAJ plans to implement over the next several months. Stay tuned for others!
Grace as Justice, Vol 3, Issue 5
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Fami l y Fi rst by Andrea Aasen very child has the right to be raised in a safe and healthy family. Regardless of their background, age, socioeconomic status, or ethnicity, this is a UN governed international right for all children. Why then for many around the world is this right hugely violated? For most third-world nations, the answer is hidden within years of international aid and historical trauma.
rooted in the aftereffects of the war. Absent governmental, social, and educational systems continue to negatively affect the nation?s economy and infrastructure. Today, the nation has become largely dependent on international support from outside nations and organizations to supply their growing population with everyday needs. This perpetuating state of dependency has made Cambodia vulnerable to years of injustice, such as systemic poverty, human trafficking, and other forms of corruption.
E
Forty years ago the Khmer-Rouge regime left Cambodia fatherless. Under the rule of Pol Pot and his army, families were separated through systematic assaults, which broke relationships and allegiances. Now, several decades later, Cambodia?s population is largely comprised of youth and children, where nearly half of the nation?s population is fifteen years of age or under. With this growing population of children arising, it is imperative that they are protected and encouraged to thrive within safe family units.
Children, as young as babies, can still be bought and sold for a price. While families do their best to make ends meet, a lack of education, income generation, and will to succeed create cycles of vulnerability and exploitation. So, how then do we protect this growing number of at-risk children? In the past, poor children such as these were gathered into orphanages, where they?d be looked after by local staff and provided with daily care needs and education. In promising them a better life, Cambodian
While these issues may seem foundational, Cambodia?s challenges remain deeply -9-
Grace as Justice, Vol 3, Issue 5
children were taken from their families and placed into institutions. However, instead of helping to empower the local people, these facilities have instead added to the nation?s state of dependency. In addition, children lost their most basic right to remain in family. Today, nearly 50,000 Cambodian children are living in orphanages or institutionalized care, where almost 80% of adolescent children within these settings are said to have at least one or more living parents (Lindsay Stark, BMJ Open). Most of these children are not without families or kin care options. Most are not trafficked or from unsafe family dynamics. They are instead children from low-income families, without education or a means to provide for themselves. Although we cannot neglect safety as a priority, orphanages are not the answer. Child development specialists have confirmed that children thrive in stable relationships, which tend to be absent from care settings such that orphanages provide.
In addition, these facilities are significantly more costly than other family support efforts. Bruce Grant, Chief of Child Protection for UNICEF, said, ?Most of the children in these orphanages shouldn?t be there in the first place? (Robert Carmichael, UNICEF). In most cases, transitional and long-term options of care, which provide stable, family-style residencies can be created for children with unsafe circumstances. Investing in family and children is worth it. XP Missions and our team of partners are committed to providing safe and restorative aftercare
options
for
trafficked
and
exploited children, while also working preventatively to target roots of poverty from a ?family first? model. We, along with many
other
local
and
international
organizations, are dedicated to empowering communities around the
to protect at-risk children world. Together, we will see
the next generation arise to greatness!
Ref erences: 1. Lindsay Stark, Beth L Rubenstein, Kimchoeun Pak, Sok Kosal. Nat ional Est imat ion of Chil dren in Resident ial Care Inst it ut ions in Cambodia: a Model ing St udy. BMJ Open, 2017; 7 (1): e013888 DOI: 10.1136/ bmjopen-2016-013888 2. Robert Carmichael. Chil dren as Commodit ies: Combat ing Cambodia?s Orphanage Racket . UNICEF, 2016. http:/ / unicefcambodia.blogspot.com/ 2016/ 03/ children-as-commodities-combating.html .
Andrea Aasen is the Director of XP Missions / Extreme Love Ministries. She is an apostolic leader with a heart to see justice released to the nations. Andrea has a desire to see women and children empowered and walking in their God created destinies. She believes in the power of LOVE to transform nations and individuals, and as a result, has developed various community, business, and advocacy models to support and protect victims of human trafficking, abuse, and other forms of exploitation. EDITOR'S NOTE: We are thrilled to announce that Andrea will be joining us as a regular columnist beginning in our Nov. issue! Grace as Justice, Vol 3, Issue 5
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REMEMBER NHU: Pu r v ey o r s o f Dr eam s & Ho p e f o r t h e Fu t u r e by Lynn Court ney
y new flip flops and vibrant Lahu . tribal earrings have been zipped up inside my suitcase. Today I leave Thailand, and it?s bitter yet oh so sweet. After 30 days at an amazing children?s home, it?s still not easy to walk away, but it?s far easier than leaving innocent children behind who are already in the hands of sex traffickers. Instead, these children will be in the capable, loving hands of Remember Nhu. Their first children?s home in Thailand was established in 2007, and now a total of 17 children?s homes are in operation there. From this beginning, Remember Nhu has grown to about 70 children?s homes around the world using their prevention model.
M
After more than fifteen years focused on the rescue side of trafficking, my goal was to understand the prevention model so successfully implemented by this organization. By the grace of many supporters, I was able to get there. Many of Remember Nhu?s girls and boys come from high mountain villages in northern Thailand? places of extreme poverty and desperation. They were at risk of being sold as child prostitutes and slaves. They are at risk of drug trafficking, drug addiction, and a number
of other horrors that are common in poverty stricken areas. One little girl with big brown eyes was only five years old. Her name is Malee. The leaders of Remember Nhu found her wandering around alone in a village. Her parents were both in prison for drugs and no one was caring for her. No one wanted her. When you looked into her big brown eyes you just couldn?t believe it! How could this precious child be unwanted and tossed out into the street to fend for herself? But now she is safe and she is loved. Here, in this Remember Nhu children's home, she?s just a normal little girl, giggling as she jumps into a pile of clean laundry. She?s hugging the house parent tightly around the knees and blowing us kisses as we slip away to visit with other children. So what does prevention look like? It is protecting young girls and boys from ever having to be abused in the sex industry, while preserving their innocence and providing an opportunity for education and a real future. Here are some numbers t hat caught my eye: ¡ The prevention model of stopping child trafficking cost s l ess t han 1/ 10 of what intervention costs. ¡ Prevention homes are over 95% ef f ect ive in preventing children from ever entering the sex trade.
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The horrors of the child sex trade continue due to the law of supply and demand. However, when at-risk children are prot ect ed from being sold, something of massive significance takes place within the global landscape. Yes, the reality of children in sex slavery is devastating and something must be done to help those who are already enslaved. Intervention focused organizations absolutely do good things for individual children. Unfortunately, the sad fact is that innocence lost can never be restored. Ending t he Suppl y of t he Sex Trade The existence of evil people in the world means that the ?demand? for the sex trade, tragically, will always continue. But there is something that can be done about the ?supply? side of the sex trade. When at-risk children from a village in which the sex brokers may do business are identified and removed, they eventually remove the supply of the child sex trade from that entire village? sometimes an entire region. Eventually the sex brokers must leave because there is no longer a ?supply? of available children to buy in that village. In fact, they can already name dozens of villages where no child has been sold since Remember Nhu was started. Therefore, they are ending child sex slavery one child at a time, one family at a time, and one village at a time. Yes, there is a lot of evil, but there is a lot more good. When a family is desperate enough to sell their child, Remember Nhu steps in and offers a much better solution: they will take care of the child for the family. When they place at-risk children in a home, each child grows up to be the happy, healthy young adult that God intended them to be and are spared from ever experiencing the sex trade. Remember Nhu ensures a home in which the physical, educational, emotional and spiritual needs of the children are met. Physically, they take on the needs of shelter, clothing, nourishment and medical care. Educationally, all necessary school expenses are paid in full, and as far as a child can reach they can go, which includes higher education. Vocational Training programs are a work in progress for those talented in trades that will allow them a real and adequate living. Emotionally, the children are truly cherished by indigenous house parents who live with
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them. Spiritually, they are exposed to the Christian faith by simply seeing the love, caring and loyalty poured out by the staff and international workers they live with daily. They look forward to attending weekly church services led by a native staff Pastor. This is an inspired, simple plan that is working. As stated on their site: ?Remember Nhu is a movement of people who dream of a better world. We believe that children have an inalienable right to grow up happy and healthy, and the idea that any child should be victimized in this way is appalling to all of us. Consider the following question: If you had the opportunity to identify a child who is at risk of being sold, prevent that from happening, and protect the child from ever entering the sex trade? would you do it?? That?s exactly why Remember Nhu exists. They believe they are part of a redemptive story in which God is asking them to partner with Him in protecting children, and they are inviting others to step into this story with them. To join in this journey, sponsoring a chil d through Remember Nhu ensures that your sponsored child will be protected from the sex trade by being taken off the streets and into 24-7 protection. They have waiting lists of at-risk children who want to come in, and the only thing standing in the way is need of the monthly sponsorship which provides for the child. This is a great
opportunity to build an ongoing relationship with a child whom you?ve spared from the horrors of the sex trade, and best of all, in most cases, you can personally visit ?your? sponsored child. Follow this link https:/ / remembernhu.org/ sponsorship/ for more information on sponsoring a child. Short -t erm vision t eams are a great way to learn about and join in the work of Remember Nhu. Find out more by contacting info@remembernhu.org
Lynn Courtney has been promoting awareness of child sex trafficking in our world for fifteen years. As a U.S. Air Force brat, she lived, observed, and learned through her high school years in Bangkok, Thailand where she lived just three blocks from the red-light district. She returned years later to assist in the war on child trafficking, and has been primarily focusing on rescue organizations. As Lynn became familiar with trafficking in both Thailand and Cambodia, she was encouraged by churches and others to take teams of women leaders from around the U.S. to Thailand, using her passion to end child trafficking to educate others and enlist their help? always keeping God in the lead. Inspired by the work of Remember Nhu, she is now exploring the preventative model with the desire to protect more children beforethey lose their innocence. She and her husband of 24 years, John Courtney, live in a geodesic dome in the Mojave Desert of Southern California. She loves coffee, M&M's, potato chips, and her flip flops. -13-
Grace as Justice, Vol 3, Issue 5
GRACE AS JUSTICE SPOTLIGHT ON November 2017
T he Ar t s and media
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Now accepting submissions for our November edition!
Do you h ave a h ear t f or ju st ice
With a spotlight on Arts and Media, this issue will be an ideal time for visual artists, dancers, musicians, poets, songwriters, bloggers, filmmakers, and others, to highlight how they are using their creative gifts to fight human trafficking.
ar eas?
In addition to our Spotlight feature, we are also accepting submissions for our regular feature "What's in Your Hand?" as well as any articles that fit within our overall mission to equip, educate, and inspire others to join the fight against human trafficking.
an d gif t s in an y of t h e f ollow in g
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Writing/Editing
-
Social Media Advocacy
-
Marketing
-
Graphic Design
We are looking for volunteers to build our team. If you're looking for a way to help give a voice to the voiceless, we want to hear from you !
Email graceasjustice@gmail.com for more information!
H ope of
Freed om by Annie Dieselberg
orld?s Largest Playground. Your Second Home,? read the sign over the entrance of the entertainment plaza. Despite the colorful lights and the blaring base beat vibrating the atmosphere, the faces we saw as we entered neither looked at home, nor at play. Men and women sat coupled at the beer bars, many physically linked to each other. Aside from a few plastered smiles, the faces looked blank and unseeing as we walked past. Bouncers held up signs of half-naked women, slapping them with rubber sticks to shock men out of their zombie state and lure them into obsession.
"
W
We entered an upstairs bar and sat strategically on the red vinyl bench where we could greet the women as they came off the stage. We ordered our drinks and I scanned the stage. A sudden movement interrupted the monotonous swaying of unskilled and un-motivated go-go dancers. A woman was turned the opposite direction and was leaning forward to catch my eye. She smiled at me as she lifted her hands in the Thai greeting. The movement took me by surprise, but I smiled and waied her back. I hadn?t chosen her; she had chosen me. Then she turned back around to join the flow of dancers. As I waited for the shift of 5 songs to end, I watched her from the back. She was thin and, in heels, she looked tall. Her long dark hair swayed as she tried to join the monotonous rhythm. She was inexperienced and even the elementary sway was awkward for her. I had only seen her face for a second, so I hoped I would recognize her when she came off the stage with all the others. Their dark hair, slender figures, bare bottoms, uniformed
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?Now I don?t haveto do that,? shesaid with relief. ?You havegiven mehope!? g-strings, and high heels intentionally blend them together into one branded identity ? sex objects. As the 5th song ended, I caught her eye and the woman came and sat next to me with a big smile. I offered to buy her a coke and watched as she gratefully ran off to get it. Buying her a drink allows her to sit with us, rather than go to the men, but it also helps her meet the required quota of 60 drinks per month. The music blared from the speakers hanging over our heads, so I leaned in close to hear what she had to say. ?Noy? was from Surin. No surprise there. Most of the women come from that area of Thailand ? Surin, Buriram, SriSaket ? the largest exporters of women and teens to the sex industry of Bangkok. Noy rubbed her knees and complained that dancing all night in high heels was hard on her legs. She wasn?t used to wearing high heels. Shyly, Noy admitted that she is 40 years old, an unusual and ill-fit for this bar of young women, some as young as 16. Noy didn?t look her age though, and her lack of bar experience and discomfort made her look even younger. Noy told me right away that she doesn?t like this work. She?s too old. She would like to get another job ? anything else, but where could she possibly get a job? I eagerly took the bait, ?Do you really want to leave the bar? If you are serious about getting another job you can come apply at my business.? Noy?s eyes Grace as Justice, Vol 3, Issue 5
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widened with excitement and she grabbed my hand, begging to know more. I told her about NightLight?s employment opportunities, fair work schedule and pay with benefits. Noy fingered my necklace and said, ?What I really like to do is handwork like this.? I laughed, ?That?s exactly what we do at NightLight. In fact, we made this one.? Noy?s face lit up. Concerned about her qualifications, Noy said, ?I can?t read. I only went to 4th grade and didn?t learn to read.? I told Noy that we also have a class to teach literacy at NightLight. ?I want to come work for you!?Noy hugged me with excitement. Noy came to work in the bar after her second husband and her daughter started having an affair. She had lost her first husband to her best friend and now her second husband to her daughter. She didn?t know what else to do and bar work seemed like her only option. After working here a couple months, Noy had quickly decided that working in prostitution was not for her. Noy asked for my phone
Annie Dieselberg, CEO and visionary founder of NightLight International, was sent by International Ministries to Bangkok in 1994 along with her husband and 4 children, to address the issues of the urban poor. As a Third Culture Kid (TCK), Annie lived in Congo, Belgium, Thailand, and India, developing a passion for the exploited and against injustice.
number and said she would call me soon. ?I don?t know what it was,? Noy told me. ?I saw you when I was on stage dancing and ?waied? you. I don?t normally do that. But there was something about you.? I told Noy that we always pray and ask God to lead us to someone He wants us to talk with. ?You are making merit,? she replied. ?We don?t do this to make merit,? I told her. ?We do it because God loves us. God helped each of us and we have enough of His love to share.? Noy told me that not knowing what else to do, she had been contemplating becoming a Buddhist nun, as an alternative to prostitution. ?Now I don?t have to do that,?she said with relief. ?You have given me hope!? Noy?s turn to dance came around again. I gave her a hug and as she climbed the stairs to the dance floor, I called a server over for the bill. As we left I glanced up one last time to look for her. The other faces still wore masks of blankness, hiding any personal identity. Noy was smiling as she waied us goodbye. The light of hope gave her an identity that made her stand out from the others. Unlike them, she had found a way out. Unlike them, she had found hope. Hope is the seed of freedom.
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W orking with women in prostitution since 2000, Annie began NightLight in 2005 to provide prevention, intervention, and holistic restoration to women at risk or escaping sexual exploitation. Annie has a passion to see women and children freed from the sexual exploitation of prostitution and trafficking, to see their livestransformed holistically, and to see the global church and community working together to free, heal, and restore all who have been broken and wounded through the sex trade. Annie?s story has been featured in the book, Not For Sale, by David Batstone, and the documentary, Furious Love, by Darren W ilson. www.Nightlightinternational.com
www.anniedieselberg.com
Grace as Justice, Vol 3, Issue 5
Sc r a pbo o k :
Hopefor Justice, Cambodia In t he July issue of GAJ, w e feat ured Hope for Just ice and t heir Shine Career School in Phnom Penh, Cam bodia. Here is anot her glim pse int o t he w ork of t his im pact ful organizat ion! www.hopeforjustice.org/ cambodia
All photos provided by Hope for Justice. Photos on this page, with the exception of bottom
left
and
bottom
center,
are
credited to Annelise Blackwood.
Click here for details or email: info@mecahtinternational.org
* Cor r ect ion * On page 24 of the July issue, in the second paragraph, a sentence originally read like this: "Bonner and others acted as enforcers." The correct text should have read as: "Maynes' associate Bonner and others acted as enforcers." Additionally, on page 25, a sentence originally began as: "NOVA HTI, a faith-based nonprofit led by Kay Duffield, RN and ordained minister, whose team stood alongside these young women..." The corrected text is: " NOVA HTI, a faith-based nonprofit led by Kay Duffield, RN and ordained minister, stood alongside these young women ..." These corrections have already been made in the live archive of the magazine, but we wanted to acknowledge them here in the event there was any confusion from reading the incorrect text. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this error may have caused.
An Int erview wit h Joanna Bega of
Child Rescue Nepal Joanna Bega , theChief Executivefor Child RescueNepal, graciously took timeout of her busy scheduletogiveGAJ readersa glimpseintoChild Rescue'swork among thevulnerableand exploited children of Nepal. W hat inspired you/made you get int o t he fight against human t rafficking? My fight against human trafficking really ignited when I met a group of victims in Nepal and started to understand their stories. As a new CEO I?d been grappling with how to connect donors in the UK to our work in Nepal, thinking that people would only be interested if they?d visited the country. But it suddenly hit me that the abuses these children had endured would touch any human being. Nobody would stand by and let these things happen to children if they fully understood what was going on. How did you st art ? W hat were your first st eps? One of the first things I did as the new CEO of Child Rescue Nepal was to secure funding, and then authorise a rescue. In August 2016 we rescued, with the police, 13 boys who had been
working illegally in a metalwork factory. They had been trafficked from their homes and had lost all hope of ever escaping. We took the boys to our newly established safe house where we cared for them and started tracing their families. As their stories came out we realised what a desperate situation they had been in. W hat are some of t he obst acles you faced? Child Rescue Nepal rescues children from slavery and keeps them safe. Once we rescue a child, we will support them for as long as they need support. This may mean funding their education after they have returned home to their families. Or it may mean full time support in one of our small family-style homes. Later on, we may fund them through our Youth Transition Programme and into a full-time job. Our biggest obstacle is funding. We won?t rescue a child if we don?t have the funds to
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support them for the long term, if that?s what is needed. Quite simply if we had more funds, we would rescue more children.
but not being able to do anything about it.
How did you overcome t hem?
My role in the UK is to raise funds to enable our team in Nepal to undertake more rescues.
Over the past year we have tried to be very clear about our work, by setting a bold ambition of ending child slavery in Nepal. We know that we won?t be able to achieve this alone, but this is what all our work is about. We want to end child slavery in Nepal by conducting rescues. But we also contribute to ending child slavery by preventing trafficking from happening in the first place ? and we do that by strengthening schools. W hat kind of need did you perceive when you began? To me the need has always been the same. Knowing that there are children behind closed doors, stranded from their families and suffering all manner of abuse, is all the motivation we need to raise money for rescues. W hat kind of need do you perceive now (is it t he same, different , more complex)? Rescuing children in Nepal is a complex task, as many agencies need to be involved. But our staff in Nepal are always asking when we can do another rescue as they cannot bear knowing where children are being held captive
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W hat do you do personally t o combat human t rafficking?
W hat do you believe is t he great est obst acle t o fight ing human t rafficking in general? One of the greatest obstacles to fighting human trafficking is access to resources. The vast majority of countries in the world have strong laws preventing trafficking but having the resources to enforce these laws is a different issue. We also need to improve the conviction rates of traffickers to gain justice for victims and deter traffickers. Are you afraid of t he opposit ion? Meaning organized crime, pimps, et c.? We only rescue in coordination with the Nepali police and they are responsible for follow up, prosecutions with the factory owners. Our role is to care for the children who are formally signed over to us following the rescue. If t here were one t hing you would want people t o know about human t rafficking, what would it be? At a base level, human beings should not be bought and sold as a commodity. Many people think that slavery is a thing of the past and cannot believe that there are more slaves
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help if t hey cannot volunt eer or t ravel? Raising awareness both globally and locally. W hat grieves you t he most when dealing wit h vict ims?
today than at any other point in history. We must continue to raise awareness. W hat is t he great est need you/your agency have/ has? Our greatest need is funding. Rescued children may well need long term support and once we rescue a child, we are committed to them for the long term if that is what is needed. We won?t rescue children without proper funding in place. W hat do you believe is t he solut ion t o sust ainable change in t his area? We are tackling child slavery in Nepal by both rescue and prevention work. However, into this mix needs to be added increased prosecutions and convictions in for change to be sustainable. If you could have people do one t hing ot her t han giving, what would it be? Raising awareness of the global scale of human trafficking and slavery is vital. Many people remain unaware of the problem ? even though there might well be human slaves in their own town. I live in Croydon, which has been revealed as the third worst place in London for hiding women, men and children who have been trafficked for use as sex slaves, domestic slaves or labourers.
The lost innocence of children is very hard to stomach. I?ve met children who had asked themselves ?What have I done to deserve this?? But perhaps what grieves me the most is the children who we haven?t been able to rescue yet who are still being beaten and used, and who have probably lost all hope of life ever changing. W hat makes you t he happiest when dealing wit h vict ims? Seeing children reunited with their families; seeing children returning to school. Conducting follow up visits and finding happy, balanced children back in their education.
Jo has w orked in the voluntary sector for over 20 years and has extensive experience in charity management, fundraising and marketing. She w as a VSO volunteer in South Africa for tw o years and has w orked in the disability and development sectors including Christian Aid. With tw o school-aged children, Jo doesn?t have a lot of spare time but she does sing in a gospel choir and regularly posts on Instagram.
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For more information visit: http://w w w .childrescuenepal.org Grace as Justice, Vol 3, Issue 5
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"Ar oh i"
by Lau r a M eyer s Human trafficking is rampant in India today, over 2-3 million women and girls are trafficked into forced prostitution in India every year. The average age at which a girl is sold into a brothel in India is between 10 and 14 years old. By means of force, fraud or coercion at the hand of another, these millions of women are trafficked into red light districts across India. Mumbai, home to the largest red light district in India, is a destination city for women and girls trafficked from Nepal, Bangladesh, and rural parts of India. Traffickers often persuade young girls with promises of marriage or of well paying jobs but instead these girls are sent to brothels and forced into prostitution. Arohi* was one of them. first met Arohi when I moved to India 2012. She was a strict Nepali woman who gave us shifty eyes every time we walked passed. For years we would pass by and greet her. We would ask if she wanted prayer and on occasion she accepted, but by and far she remained
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distant. In the years of knowing Arohi I knew her as violent towards the women ?in her care? and she was arrested for harboring minors and prostituting them out. Subsequently she bought her way out of jail and was back to managing her brothel. Fast forward a few years and one day we
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young age and the broken pieces that became her life. Arohi wasn't asking for the finances or for us to do it for her. Instead, she just needed someone to come alongside of her and show her where she should go. She made a decision to take a long, vulnerable and sometimes scary road to change her life. And it would be these moments that would define the next season of her life.
received a call at our center; it was Arohi. To be honest when I found out that she wanted to come to the Community Development Center I was shocked and a little guarded. Why would this madam, someone I had written off as hard-hearted, need to talk with our staff? She expressed a desire to have her son go to play school and wanted to know if we had any ideas of places for him to go. Ironically (or rather God ordained), the week prior we had visited several schools in the area in hopes to build relationship for future needs. So, despite my doubts, we scheduled a time the following day for Arohi to come in and talk. As I sat and talked with Arohi, I noticed a change in her. I was seeing for the first time that Arohi seemed willing to care for someone else besides herself. It was as if having her son changed her view on life. Her desire to care for him and for him to have a better life created a desire for something more for her life too. Through the course of the next weeks and months she began to take steps that are nothing short of a miracle. Arohi opened up about her own struggles and challenges. She shared her own brutal story of being trafficked at a Grace as Justice, Vol 3, Issue 5
One of my all time favorite scriptures is from Titus 3:3-8: At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by His grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. This is a trustworthy saying. When we think about a ?madam? who sells other women we think of how evil they must be. We think of how violent, and think of the pain that they inflict. We think of all of the injustice that they perpetrate on others. And all of that is true, BUT when the love of God our Savior appears, He saves us. Not because of our righteousness but because of His mercy. He washes us clean and renews us through His Spirit. He justifies us through His grace. We become heirs having the hope of eternal life.
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Today Arohi is thriving in her process of transformation. The Lord has once again captured her heart and is healing her heart. In one of the first prayer times that Arohi was a part of at the Community Development Center she cried tears of pain and cried out to the Lord to save her, to forgive her, and change her. The process is not always easy, or clean for that matter, but everyday is a new day. Arohi is taking steps to grow in her relationship with the Lord and live a free and whole life.
Laura Meyers was involved in raising awareness and funds for anti human-trafficking efforts within her own community in 2003. By 2006, she was working hands-on with organizations around the world in the anti-trafficking field, including in-person experience within the red light districts of India. After receiving her Bachelor of Art degree in Social Work, she transitioned to a full-time focus on anti-trafficking work which involved networking, educating and leading teams to work with anti-trafficking organizations globally. During the time spent working alongside these organizations, she was able to observe several different models for prevention, intervention and aftercare, as well as reintegrating women into life outside of the brothels. In June 2012, Laura moved to India full time to minister to women and families in red light districts on the outskirts of Mumbai. Laura currently lives in Mumbai, India and serves as the Executive Director of Hope Restored India.
Hope Restored India was founded for women like Arohi. The approach of Hope Restored India is two-fold; the Community Development Center and the Community Outreach. We seek to empower groups of individuals who are consistently overlooked by the traditional approach to rescue and aftercare. Madams (lower-level brothel managers), women over the age of 25, and women who have terminal medical conditions (ex. HIV+) generally lack opportunity for rescue and rehabilitation through traditional aftercare organizations as they do not meet the specific criteria required by these organizations. Although often perceived as possessing a choice, the reality is that these women currently have little to no resources to provide support or guidance in leaving the red light district. Through discipleship, house visits, prayer meetings, mentoring, vocational training, counseling and basic life skill classes we focus on creating and sustaining relationships as a stepping-stone to motivate individuals beyond their current situation and towards an empowered life. To learn more about Hope Restored India or learn more about our approach please visit our website at: www.hoperestoredindia.com
*Name changed for her prot ect ion and honor
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WHAT CAN YOU DO? SUPPORT -
Volunteer with local organizations that fight trafficking. Give financially to organizations on the frontlines.
WRITE -
Write letters to your senators and congressmen/ women asking them what they are doing and asking them to continue making changes. Write women and girls pulled out of trafficking and encourage them.
BE SOCIAL -
Use social media to disseminate information on human trafficking. You can like certain pages and pass the information along on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and other social platforms. Start your own page, blog, or create a board on Pinterest. Always make sure to include the positive: people who are rescued, preventative tactics, progress, etc. Don?t leave people without hope.
FAIR TRADE -
Start looking at where your products come from. FAIR TRADE USA is a good place to see what products were produced through slavery, and which ones were not. Write to companies using slavery and remind them that they should be responsible citizens.
PRAY -
Find a friend to pray with you. Start a prayer time with some friends that is dedicated to people who need help.
EDUCATE -
Educate yourself on this issue. Be ready to answer questions. Many people don?t realize this even exists or they don?t want to hear about it or care. Don?t let that stand in the way. Stay informed and share what you learn--you will find others interested in making a difference.
T h e F ier c est F igh t : Why TheExodus Road is Focused on Asia
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sia, the most populous region in the world, is home to an estimated two thirds of the total number of people living in modern slavery.1
These people wake up each day to hours of forced brick making, domestic service, fishing, sex slavery or other work. According to Free the Slaves, the Asian continent and nearby island countries are the definitive focus of the world?s slave trade. And while we are actively pursuing counter-trafficking efforts in the U.S. and Latin America, the facts remain that the overwhelming majority of modern day slaves live in Asia today. And this is the battleground where The Exodus Road has chosen primarily to fight? particularly in Thailand and India. Thailand was recently classified as a Tier 2 Watch List ranking on the 2017 United States Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report. According to the U.S. Department of State, Tier 2 Watch list describes countries whose governments do not fully meet the TVPA?s minimum standards, but are making significant efforts
to bring themselves into compliance with those standards AND: - The absolute number of victims of severe forms of trafficking is very significant or is significantly increasing; - There is a failure to provide evidence of increasing efforts to combat severe forms of trafficking in persons from the previous year; or - The determination that a country is making significant efforts to bring itself into compliance with minimum standards was based on commitments by the country to take additional future steps over the next year. The TIP report also says Thailand is a source, destination and transit country for slaves. Many victims migrate from foreign countries to find jobs in Thai cities, and instead, they fall into slavery traps. ?Labor trafficking victims are exploited in commercial fishing and related industries, the poultry industry, factories, agriculture, and domestic work, or forced into street
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The Exodus Road is strategically placed to fight trafficking where it rages the most. We are committed to supporting anti-slavery law enforcement efforts in Thailand and India, and to partnering with other organizations to do the same. We want to target the ?hotbeds? of the world, where trafficking has become ingrained in local society and where vulnerable people groups systematically become commodities. begging,? the report states. ?Thailand?s commercial sex industry remains vast, increasing vulnerabilities for sex trafficking.?2 Northwest of Thailand, the slave trade thrives in India, as well. The TIP report has labeled it a Tier 2 country, meaning the government hasn?t fully complied with the TVPA?s minimum standards but that it is striving to do so. According to the Department of State website, it also means the amount of trafficking victims within India is large and increasing quickly.
Our teams of investigators in India and Southeast Asia are comprised almost entirely of foreign nationals. We believe sustainable solutions are only possible when we empower local communities to fight the problem themselves. By training and employing locals, and working tirelessly to build relationships with local law enforcement and organizations, we are working to help change the culture of slavery in Asia.
Slavery and sex trafficking have grown in these areas, in part, due to corruption among various officials. According to the Asia Times, other factors contributing to the trade in East Asia, at least, include poverty, the presence of crime syndicates and widespread demand for cheap labor and sex. 1Source: Global Report on Trafficking in Persons (2014), UNODC, 2014. 2Source: Trafficking in Persons Report (2017), Country Narratives: Thailand, U.S. Department of State, 2017.
Article and statistics provided by The Exodus Road. The Exodus Road is a non-profit organization that focuses on ushering in strategic, holistic rescue for current victims of slavery. They vet, train, fund and equip operatives to collect evidence of trafficking and then work with police to bring freedom. They also support victim services throughout the rescue and transition process. To learn more visit: www.theexodusroad.com
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by Tyrelle Smith founded Traffick Jam after learning about human trafficking in my nation and around the world. It was not long before I learned of the great need in Cambodia. Immediately I signed up to sponsor a child through World Vision as a way of keeping one girl from the tragedy of trafficking. I prayed that if God could use me in Cambodia, I would go. In no time at all, I received an opportunity to go to Cambodia. This led to a passion to see people empowered to serve rescue organizations internationally, equipped with both necessary skills and the power of the Holy Spirit. Two years later, The School of
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Freedom was birthed as a live online classroom with students from around North America and teachers from around the world with long term experience. Through this school, we train professionals and non-professionals to serve in the restoration of beautiful women and children who have been rescued from sex trafficking through Christ based therapy, prayer, and love. The topics for our classes are designed to give each participant a greater understanding of the contributing factors, culture, and mindsets that have led to the challenges survivors have encountered, enabling our participants to better aid in their healing process. This year we will be taking a Dance Movement Therapist, a Music Therapist, and a Phd. Counselor, who will work with the exploited and train NGO national and international workers to continue the work after we leave. By training nationals who have less access to education, we are expanding their skills and experience and enhancing their ability to secure work and
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provide for their families. Not only that, but we are participating in the great commission to disciple nations. Participants in the school will serve alongside the Traffick Jam team during sessions to bring healing and new beginnings. We are delighted to be serving Destiny Rescue, Rapha House, and Esther's House in Cambodia and Thailand, who are equally excited about having us serve with them! Participants are not required to be dancers, but they must be willing to move with those who have been rescued so they don?t feel alone as they express their stories to their counselors through movement and dance. The class participants will also be engaged in prayer while they are comforting the survivors. Our goal is to empower those who are called to ?bind up the brokenhearted and set the captive free? with understanding, experience, and international connections so they can each fulfill their calling to the Lord Jesus Christ.
week, beginning Oct. 16, 2017 through May 14, 2018. Afterwards, we will travel to Cambodia and Thailand for 3 weeks. Dates and details for the trip will be announced upon receipt of a background clearance for vulnerable sectors, and an approved application for the School of Freedom. To learn more about the program, including the application process and fees, please click here:
The school is three hours one night per Tyrelle has worked in anti-trafficking education and work since 2013 as her nation, Canada, was about to undergo a law change that could have legalized prostitution, widening the gateway to further exploitation of women and underage girls through sex-trafficking. Tyrelle organized a 24 hour day of prayer and fasting for her nation to pass the new law currently in place- a made in Canada Nordic Model called bill c-36 which criminalizes the purchase of sex, driving down demand. She is currently the Outreach Director of Hope Restored Canada, an organization that empowers everyday people to serve against trafficking. Her own organization, TraffickJam was created to address foreign trafficking and raise a people to be well equipped to heal the broken by serving nations, organizations, national and international workers overseas. You can reach Tyrelle at: tyrellesmith@trafficjam.org or visit: traffickjam.org
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The ASISH Project (Action against Social Injustice and promoting Social Harmony)
Dr. Vandana Kant h
odern slavery includes slavery, slavery-like practices (such as debt bondage, forced marriage, and sale or exploitation of children), human trafficking and forced labour. According to the Global Slavery index, 29.8 million people live in modern slavery. India ranks fourth in terms of the prevalence of modern slavery, but in absolute numbers, India has the largest number of enslaved people, about 14 million, in the world. This is almost half of the total number of people enslaved in the world and one in ninety of people living in India[1].
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The 2013 US TIP Report cites figures of an estimated 20 to 65 million Indian citizens in forced labour within India as a result of debt bondage[2]. Thus, the biggest proportion of enslaved people in India is Indian citizens (children and adults) living in debt bondage and bonded labour. Those most vulnerable to modern slavery are those from the Scheduled Castes and indigenous communities, especially women and children[3]. Many are trapped in debt bondage to a local landowner or born into slavery because of caste, customary, social and hereditary obligations. One in eight
children in India aged 5 to 14 years are involved in child labour[4]. Children are more likely to be involved in child labour if they live in rural areas; are from poorer households; are from Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes; and have parents who have not had education; and are older. Among the major states, Gujarat has the highest proportion of children working: a third of children work. The next highest is Rajasthan where a fifth of children work[5]. A study was done in the Kosi region of Bihar, a region where child trafficking is thought to be common. The study found that one in 13 children aged 5 to 18 years had been trafficked. Internally trafficked men, women and children make up significant shares of the workforce in construction, textiles, brick making, mines, fish and prawn processing and hospitality[6]. This same study identified some factors that contributed to children being trafficked in the region. They included poverty and the total dependence on agricultural labour for survival, low literacy rates among adults, and lower educational participation by children, poor quality housing, and poor access to health facilities, indebtedness and health costs.
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The needs assessment done by the project identified the following as some of the factors increasing vulnerability to slavery: Poverty and deprivation: Slavery is largely driven by vulnerabilities caused by poverty and deprivation. The World Bank estimated in 2012 that 32.7% of Indians lived below the international poverty line and per the 2011 Indian census, 66.74% of the population in Bihar lives below the poverty line. Poverty is not simply about lack of economic resources. This type of deep poverty means every day is about survival and this opens them up for exploitation. Progress to eliminate slavery is therefore closely linked to reducing these vulnerabilities, mitigating economic shocks, and providing families with social protection and an adequate level of regular income.
functioning, quality of life, and life expectancy?[9]. The World Bank (2002) estimates that one-quarter of all Indians fall into poverty as a direct result of medical expenses in the event of hospitalisation[10]. Opportunities for education and to develop marketable skills: Bihar, with a 58.26 per cent literacy rate, is last in terms of male literacy in India and ranks second last in terms of female literacy[11]. With extremely low levels of health and education, as well as low levels of access to infrastructure and social services, the rural poor have limited options for improving their livelihoods or even meeting their basic needs.
Food insecurity: This region is also severely short of food security measured by the under-five mortality and child under-nutrition indicators. This affects the rural poor very badly. There are periods of acute food shortages in the agricultural off season, when households have to restrict their intake in order to manage[7]. Children are sent away to work in the hope that they may better feed themselves when they move to other areas for work. Single parent households and disability: Vulnerability is also increased with single parent households and if there is a disability in the family. According to the World health statistics 2011, the Indian government expenditure has been an abysmal 32 USD per capita, a mere 4.2% of the GDP for public health[8]. This means that even now, there is a high out-the pocket expenditure which is especially dangerous for the poor as it forces them into further poverty. The scenario becomes grimmer when people with disabilities are considered. ?Persons with disabilities who do not receive adequate preventive care and routine health maintenance care may require more expensive tertiary care. They may also develop secondary conditions that may further limit their Grace as Justice, Vol 3, Issue 5
Migration in the hope of employment opportunities in other parts of India is the most significant survival strategy adopted. However, unsafe migration often turns into human trafficking. Social identity: Low social identity related to low caste status is directly related to low socio-economic conditions. SC households, for instance, are far more likely to be constrained with regard to opportunities for education and employment. Low human development combined with histories of exclusion limit the capacity of the rural poor to extricate themselves from long-term poverty.
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Crossborder issues: Cross-border migration affects India on a massive scale. Low skilled migrant workers, both internal and foreign, are at particular risk of exploitation. Bihar shares a border with Nepal and is the main transit state in India through which trafficked women and children pass [12]. The entry points in the state are Raxaul, Bairgania, Motihari, Sitamarhi, Narkatraganj, Madhubani, Sonbarsha, Jogbani, and Kakarbita. Bihar shares a border with West Bengal and is also a transit/destination point for trafficking from Bangladesh. There are red light areas all over the state which are both destination and transit points for trafficked women and children from within and outside the state. A survey by Bhoomika Vihar showed that women and girls also operate through mobile brothels. It is conspicuous as a transit point for children, especially girls being trafficked from Nepal,
Bangladesh, West Bengal, Orissa, and Assam[13]. To address these issues, The ASISH Project works in about 25 villages in the region of Bihar and aims to: Empower communities through strengthening community initiatives which would advocate for their rights/entitlements, formation of CBOs such as CFG (Community Vigilance Committee), women?s self-help groups, Children clubs, SMC (School management committee) and disabled people?s organization . Take Preventive Initiatives against slavery such as bonded labour/ child labour/ trafficking through formation of non-formal education centres, capacity building of multi stake holders, community based sensitization/ advocacy initiatives in different level to create a slavery free society.
1] W alk Free Foundation. The Global Slavery Index 2013. Dalkeith, Western Australia: W alk Free Foundation, 2013.13 [2] US Trafficking in Persons Report 2013?, India Country Narrative, p290, US Department of State: http:/ / www.state.gov/ documents/ organization/ 210739.pdf [3] W alk Free Foundation. The Global Slavery Index 2013. Dalkeith, Western Australia: W alk Free Foundation, 2013. [4] UNICEF. The State of the W orld's Children 2013. New York: UNICEF, 2013. [5]UNICEF. The Situation of Children in India: a Profile. New Delhi: UNICEF, 2011) [6] Das M, Mishra S. Stolen Childhoods: A study of child trafficking in the Kosi Region of Bihar. New Delhi: Save the Children, 2013 [7] Child migration, child trafficking and child labour in India. Draft document. International Labour Organization. 2013. [8] W orld health statistics, 2011. [9] L. Johnson, Josie W oll. A National Disgrace: Health Disparities Encountered by Persons with Disabilities. Disability Studies Quarterly. W inter 2003, Volume 23, No. 1. Pages 61-74. www.dsq-sds.org [10] Ahuja, R. Health Insurance for the Poor in India. W orking Paper No. 123. 2004, March. Indian Council for Research on International Economics Relations. [11] http:/ / censusindia.gov.in/ 2011-prov-results/ data_files/ india/ Final_PPT_2011_chapter6.pdf .[12] Asian Development Bank. 2002: Combating Trafficking of W omen and Children in South Asia, Country Paper for India. Manila [13] STOP. 2002: Excerpts from ?Analyzing the Dimensions: Trafficking and HIV/ AIDS in South Asia?
Dr. Vandana Kanth is a Project Director at Duncan Hospital, Raxaul Bihar, India and oversees the ASISH Project (among other projects). She says: "The ideology that drives me is that each and every person, irrespective of caste / class is made in the image of God and w hoever show s contempt for the poor and the marginalized show s contempt against the Creator. I believe that the vulnerable and needy communities deserve to have a life of dignity and must be provided w ith opportunities to make their lives better. This desire leads me to designing programs and projects that w ould be tailored according to their needs. These projects in turn, w ould empow er them, w ould improve their social status, w ould bring equity in resource utilization and at the same time w ould also provide them a voice and advocate for those w ho are oppressed and cannot speak or defend themselves. Thus the ultimate objective is to be an age of transformation in the community through fellow ship and caring for the poor and the marginalized." She can be reached at dr.vandanakanth@gmail.com
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by Ch r ist in a Zor ich or the past two and a half years, I?ve been engaged in the making of a documentary on human sex trafficking. Despite being overworked and sometimes overwhelmed, I?m the happiest I?ve ever been in my life. The focus of my film has been the Christian missionaries who?ve dedicated their lives to ending human sex trafficking. To me, they are the modern-day heroes of my faith.
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There?s so much to share about the experiences, lessons and changes this process has facilitated in me. I continue to educate myself about the realities and intricacies of the following: the value and purpose of art, filmmaking, history, politics, geography, differing cultures, faiths, and societal forces. I also learned how to grow in my own faith through action. One of the
greatest lessons I've learned is that personal growth is our healthiest and most natural state. I?ve also discovered that our so called ?mistakes? are the necessary and tangible evidence of this growth. I?ve made many errors while making this film. But what helped me the most, were two things: Letting go of my ego and not letting my perceived success or failure as a director define me. When I was able to put these things aside, getting back up after a challenge became easier. I believe this film was and is my "divine assignment." I had many confirmations from trusted people of faith, that affirmed this for me. I?m so grateful I took a year to seek guidance from the Lord about ?what project he would have me do.? Had I not sought God?s counsel, I would not have had the faith to endure the
never-ending trials and tribulations I encountered. Had it not been for my belief in God's goodness and ability to transform us all, I wouldn?t have made it. Every failure was necessary; propelling me toward the next set of lessons. Sharpening my character, abilities and understanding of the subject matter once again. This process of constantly embracing change, has taught that we are even more capable than we think. I shot The New Abolitionists in Southeast Asia and traveled there twice to do so. The questions I asked were as
All pictures on the preceding page and throughout this article courtesy of Christina Zorich and The New Abolitionists
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follows: Why is it considered the most trafficked region of the globe? What can we all learn from this place about ourselves? Where and how must we change, transform and grow past this horrific reality? I also became deeply interested in what factors and conditions have contributed to this region being the most trafficked in the world. There are different groups who play a part in this global stage. The first group is those I followed. Those missionaries who dedicate their lives to fight, day in and day out, to end human sex trafficking. These are the ones I called in the movie, The New Abolitionists. Those who endlessly inspire me and deepen my moral courage. They are the concrete evidence of God?s healing power and goodness. They?ve sold everything, moved across the globe to rescue, restore, and stop this horror being perpetrated against woman and children. Then there are the victims of this horrific industry. Women and children who are tricked, betrayed, seduced, pressured, blackmailed and exploited. Victims who fight and continue to heal from unimaginable pain and trauma. They?ve taught me about the strong, loving nature of the human spirit, despite any darkness the enemy and this world has thrown at them. I observed, many of these innocents going back into their Grace as Justice, Vol 3, Issue 5
The New Abolitionists (Sizzle Reel) families, villages and towns and transforming their own communities through the skills they learned through recovery and rescue missions. Then there are the perpetrators, those individuals fueling this booming criminal industry. I've come to distinguish three categories in this camp. The first is a dangerous organized network of cartels that must be stopped. Then, there are the corrupt authoritative and governmental officials who are either working in collusion, to fuel this industry or turning a blind eye. While there are those in positions of authority fighting to stop this evil industry, globally, greater reformation, top prioritizing and greater accountability is desperately needed. This can be achieved effectively through social pressure. Finally, there are the "Johns" who travel from all over the world to seek out sexual gratification. They are also, in a sense, -38-
victims? addicted, unwell, and in deep need of spiritual transformation. The question I continue to ask is: Where are we in all this? We've had ten years of exposure to this subject in movies, television shows, interviews, news programs and various articles. Yet collectively, what real action have we taken? Christian Elliot of A21 gave me a shocking statistic. He said, 1% of this criminal industry is being prosecuted. One percent! We are all, collectively, becoming more aware than ever. Yet that awareness and the actual rate of prosecution is extremely incongruous. I challenge everyone reading this article to do more than watch from the side lines. We are Christians! There are no sidelines in this fight. We need the whole working army of God on the field. Speak out and petition our elected officials to make this issue a priority. Pray hard and long. Donate to the
anti-trafficking warriors on the frontlines of this fight (some are listed on my website
Christina'sStory.... The New Abolitionists is beyond a passion project for me. For the past 35 years, I?ve been a working professional as an actor, acting teacher, director and producer. I?ve trained, taught and performed in some prestigious and respected theaters and training institutions on the East and West Coast; producing music videos, a web series and numerous plays. However, my life changed a few years ago when, at a chance meeting in Hollywood, I met Erica Greve, of Unlikely Heroes.
www.thenewabolitionistsdoc.com
and featured in my documentary on the "What can I do" page). Your donations allow them to continue their life changing work. Go yourself and do anti trafficking work alongside them. Buy products made by anti-trafficking organizations and businesses that contribute to this work. Find creative ways, like I did, to take action. Lastly, continue to educate yourself in solutions. Please don't look away! Lives ARE at stake. We all have a part to play in ending human sex trafficking! With God ALL things are possible.
The
New Abolitionists currently in post-production.
Like many people I?ve met, the Human Sex Trafficking Industry was a subject that was not even close to being on my radar. Yet, when Erica revealed to me the level of intense suffering she witnessed first hand of it?s victims- mostly young women and children, I knew I was incapable of turning a blind eye. She then, further shared, how she was a registered nurse and discovering and then knowing that there existed no medical/hospital facilities to treat these victims who were in such desperate need of medical treatment, therapy and aftercare moved her to take action. Erica then committed her life to the building, staffing, and operation costs of homes for these young people. Homes that she was in the process of filling with children, young women and men, who she herself or others had rescued from thishorrific industry.
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Her story compelled me into action. I gave her contacts of every director and filmmaker I knew. Hoping they could shoot footage for her NGO, Unlikely Heroes, that would fundraise the materials, resources and expenses needed. Unfortunately, everyone requested money to film. Erica?s response to me was, ?Christina, all money has to go to the girls.? It was in this moment I realized: acts of service, small and large, were required to fight this fight. This is when I first got the idea for ?The New Abolitionists.? I spent the next few years educating myself; researching and investigating human sex trafficking. I began an apprenticeship under a respected documentarian. I took classes and committed myself to a mission trip to Thailand and Cambodia with a ministry that erected the first shelter in Cambodia for victims, and I began shooting... -Christina Zorich, Executive Producer and Director,The New Abolitionists
Click HERE t o list en t o Ch r ist in a's in t er view w it h Lau r a Spaet h on BBOX RADIO!
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Grace as Justice, Vol 3, Issue 5
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