August 17, 2007

Addressing our trafficking problems

Dear Friends,

Imagine living at the foot of the Himalayas in the town known for tea, Darjeeling. The area is known for three T’s: tea, timber, and tourism. However, like a growing number of places around the globe, this area has been affected by a fourth “T,” trafficking.

In August, a three-day consultation sponsored by the Church of North India and the Council for World Mission was held in this quaint town to address a growing problem: human trafficking. Every year, 800,000 to 900,000 women and children end up in “servitude” due to force, fraud, or coercion.

The consultation, called “South Asia Consultation on Tackling Newly Emerging Vulnerabilities Leading to Trafficking in Children and Women,” brought folks from around South Asia and from as far away as Zambia and New Zealand. They came from the pews of the church, from NGOs, and the U.S. State Department. They were lawyers, bishops and other church leaders who came to focus on an issue that is prevalent on every continent. It also hits close to home. Between 1,500 and 2,200 people are trafficked from Canada to the United States annually in this multi-million dollar business.

Lord when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick, or in prison, and did not minister to you?...Assuredly I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to the least of these, you did not do it to me
(Matt. 25:44-45)

Women and children are becoming the new commodity, or economic collateral, arising from globalization, which creates horrendous conditions for the poor. In Darjeeling, several of the historic tea plantations have closed, leaving families with little hope. Young women and children become the most vulnerable targets for servitude in the sex trade, sweat shops, as domestic servants, as brides for sale, in embroidery factories, as workers in rice mills, the circus, as bonded labor in heavy construction, as camel jockeys or as beggars. Sometimes these women and children are moved continents away from their homes. The challenge of tracing them down is daunting.

The Rev. Dr. Rodderick Hewitt, moderator for Council for World Mission from the United Church of Jamaica and the Cayman Islands, inaugurates a photo exhibition of the families left behind.

Imagine a young boy playing in the village. He has never ridden a bus or seen the lights of a city. He’s hungry and has minimal family support. Preyed upon by traffickers, he is taken to serve as a camel jockey somewhere in the Middle East. In addition to being small and light, as we learned at the consultation, the boys often cry when put on a camel. The more they cry the faster the camel goes. The louder they cry, the faster the camel goes.

Various groups are dedicated to breaking this vicious cycle by addressing the core underlying issues, and—when possible—by intervening, rehabilitating, and reintegrating.

An hour south of Darjeeling, one bishop is addressing the issue in his context. The small town of Siligouri is a crossroads for folks moving in and out of Nepal, Bangladesh, India, and Bhutan. The diocese began by focusing on the children of the sex workers with the hope that their lives would take a different path. The boys and girls range from age 5 to 14. They have homes, but there is little of what we would call “family life.”

 The children gather to see their pictures on the Bishop’s laptop!

The bishop approached the mothers of the children that attend government schools and discovered that one of their greatest needs was for childcare and a safe place to stay during the evening hours. A large Muslim school near the community made several rooms available, and the diocese paid to install ceiling fans and lights. Volunteer teachers and adults run the program, which is similar to an extended “after school program.” The children wish it lasted 24/7!

Prayer requests

• Pray for all struggling to right the wrongs of economic injustice, which have set the stage for this horrible problem of human trafficking.
• Pray for those who “labor in the fields” to identify people who are most vulnerable. Pray they will have strength, fortitude, and compassion.
• Pray for those helping women and children to rebuild their lives on new foundations, and find a sense of dignity as children of God. Pray for our partners as they face this growing problem.

Pray especially for the women and children caught in this evil servitude that is a form of modern day slavery.

On a personal note: We were commissioned by the Executive Committee of the Church of North India in early August during a worship service and have been wholeheartedly welcomed into the community!

Thanks for your continued support and prayers!

In Christ’s Service,

Sue, David & Mary Hudson