I'm a bit stirred up since last night.
I went with some friends to see the new australian movie THE JAMMED. It chronicles the stories of three trafficked survivors from Melbourne. It really highlights the injustice within the current law for trafficking survivors. Perhaps you don't know?
1. trafficked survivors found in Australia have to testify against their traffickers if they want ANY help from the government. If they don't testify they get deported immediately.
2. IF they do testify they have 30 days for the police to make an actual case... if they can't make a case the survivor is STILL deported.
3. Even if they can make a case - the survivor isn't assured permanent status...
The suffering these women have endured is unimaginable. I think we could do better.
What do you think of these ideas:
1. investigative teams that find out where they are being held and bust them out (the early army used to STORM BROTHELS - there would be about 75 soldiers and they'd bust in through the door go into the brothels and any women that wanted to come would be put in the centre of the salvationists and accompanied out - then disappear into a salvo home)... Let's bring back some muscular salvation?
2. An Underground railroad: yep, just like the days of slavery - we just absorb trafficked women into Christian community. Until the unjust laws are changed... we care for them/ we don't 'report' them until they can be guaranteed safety and provision.
People think these are unrealistic but I think they are a normal Christian response... it's not like they haven't been done before. I think often we hide behind risk management and professional social work instead of just doing what we can when we can... we are the Church - I think we can do more. I pray God will help me to know what I can do to fulfill Isa. 61 and bring His Kingdom to these women NOW as it is in heaven.
6 comments:
You are right. Action is what is needed, not symbolism. We must keep praying this through, and then be obedient to what our Lord is calling us to do. I haven't seen the movie, but my heart breaks for these women.
I believe that those who suffer injustice, who find themselves in these situations by accident and feel there is no way out... need to be rescued and provided a safe and caring environment to heal. This needs to be done safely, we need to work and communicate together about how we will act. The reality is, this industry can be extremely dangerous, people who run these places don't want attention, they will do all they can to stop you empowering 'their' people.
The saying 'what would Jesus do' applies here. Would He sit back cause it seemed too hard? I doubt it.
yeah it's tough stuff... we are often torn between the right thing and the quick thing... our motivation has to be for the women caught for their freedom and not just to alleviate our own conscience... that said, it would be better to do something than nothing - the real question is what is the right thing - we need godly wisdom.
yeah it's tough stuff... we are often torn between the right thing and the quick thing... our motivation has to be for the women caught for their freedom and not just to alleviate our own conscience... that said, it would be better to do something than nothing - the real question is what is the right thing - we need godly wisdom.
If I can assist let me know!! Personally, I feel helpless in doing something, but if we pull together we can change all this. Something must be done.
To gate crash a few premises would only free a handful and would risk much both in terms of physical safety for those involved and in community image. It would also serve to warn and allow those responsible for the evil to prepare and go further underground where they are harder to track.We trade much on reputation and while what we do is more important than how we fund it it seems pointless to cut off the nose to spite the face so to speak. How can we strike at the heart of this? How can we get laws changed to protect the women. Can we get them re classified as asylum seekers (given that if deported their lives may be at risk, either from the organisations that enslaved them or from family/community in those countries where women are seen to bring shame on their family even when what has happened was against their will)? Can we have programmes arranged in the source countries to receive those who go back, to retrain them, to protect them? Can we pray for those involved, not only the victims but the perpetrators, that their eyes will be opened and they will turn to fight what they now support?
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