I haven’t posted much about my actual work and have decided that it’s time to fill everyone in. Over the past two months I have definitely adjusted to the culture at our office and have really enjoyed learning a lot and taking in what’s happening in each department. If you aren’t familiar, the basic way that we work is as follows: first and foremost, we need to get the girls out of oppression, and this is done entirely in conjunction with local law enforcement. From there, the lawyers and advocates deal with the perpetrators, taking them through the local public justice system, going to bail hearings, trials, meeting with the appropriate people to make this all happen the right way, etc. The girls are immediately sent to aftercare facilities where they are nurtured, counseled and taught valuable skills. The equivalent of the Child Protective Services places the girls in homes where spots are available. Some of the homes are public government homes and others are privately homes run by NGO’s – some Christian and some secular. We have a special relationship with one Christian home which houses about 19 girls. This is the place where I have visited the girls and gotten to know a few of them.
So what am I doing? I am the first Communications intern that our office has had, and so the beginning of my time here was spent in lots of meetings where we were working on defining my role in the office. I am working with the Community Relations team, and their job is primarily to work in church relations, educating the local church on the issue of sex trafficking and injustice in the community. For example, this weekend we are hosting a conference for principals of local Christian schools and colleges. As far as action points for the attendees, we are suggesting that they get involved as prayer partners, sign up to receive regular updates, volunteer at our aftercare facilities, or sign up to be independent witnesses. The latter is a huge opportunity for local people to be involved in this process: each time there is a rescue operation, it is the law that there be two female independent witnesses there to testify in court. Therefore, if a woman signed up to go, she has a very powerful experience to share with her friends.
I am also working for each department to push out as many stories as possible about what is happening here in the city. Press releases, case stories, news from the field, sentences, victories, etc. I am working with another intern from a nearby city to build on our current media relations so that in the next few months every rescue will be published in the newspaper. I also have been producing many pieces (fact sheets, newsletters, updates) for the Director, researching, updating contact information, editing pieces, etc. Every day is different. I have interviewed some of the staff in the office and have been blown away by their dedication to this cause. I am lucky to see people working hard every day to ‘seek justice, rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan, plead for the widow.’
My coworkers are remarkable. I have never been around a group of people so grounded in their faith and so brave. The work takes courage. The advocates work terribly long hours in court, researching, writing briefs and making sure that our cases are progressing. They are working in a broken justice system and have to deal with disappointments alongside victories. They are exceptionally patient, as most cases take several years to come to trial. The aftercare social workers are literally faced with the effects of brutal injustice daily. They have enormous uphill battles with some of the girls initially unreceptive to care and help. They also get to see God working to restore the lives of girls who are able to overcome their past. From my very limited experiences with some of the girls, I can’t ever get over how strong they are. It is hard to think the situations they were in before their rescue, but many of them are well adapted to life in the home. They are going to school, watching movies, learning skills and giggling just like any teenage girl would.
If I have learned anything for certain while I am here, it is that the Enemy is very real and that the battle is happening now. He is actively out to destroy our work, impede upon our success, and keep these girls in abuse and captivity. He is out to instigate tip-offs, to produce injustice in the courts, and to keep the perpetrators free to destroy lives and traffick more girls. The only way to battle this is to face the Enemy head on and trust that our God is greater than all forces working against us. We must believe that God is present in the heat of the battle and that he will enable us, give the girls strength, provide a way out for them, and use us to go to the darkest and scariest places in this city and give hope to those who are helpless. Boldness, patience and prayer are what gets this team through.
I have seen freedom come to several girls since I have been here. As I have learned more about their stories, there is no way for it to not break my heart. I have met and read about girls who were trafficked by their fathers, brothers, or a complete stranger who they trusted to give them a job. They were allured by the promise of getting out of poverty, of earning something for their families, of being independent. Some were taken as young as age 12 and were in captivity for several years, enduring endless emotional and physical and sexual abuse. Some were beaten, some were never paid, some were put on drugs. A few girls were abused so violently that they couldn’t even stand up at the time of rescue. I have seen men trading petty cash in exchange for the innocence of girls who they push into dirty rooms. I can’t help but to compare it to my charmed and privileged life and struggle with how I got dealt the cards I did when so many other girls had this happen to them. I don’t have the answer to that, but I do know what my response is.
Even in the two months since I have been here, I can say with confidence that the fight for justice is now something that will forever be a part of me. As a Christian but also as a human being, I can’t simply live knowing what I know and seeing what I see without doing something about it. I’d definitely encourage anyone who wants to know anything else to drop me a question because I’d love to talk more about it!
Love you all so much!
