Some pretty cool teamwork.

When I first learned about IJM, what drew me to their work were the flashy news headers detailing rescue operations involving arrests of sexual predators and the relief of vulnerable children and families. The individual stories of IJM overwhelmed me and I became more and more convinced that using caswork to influence the justice system was the only effective means of ending certain forms of bondage around the world. I remain convinced that casework is crucial to ending forms of persistent, violent oppression, but working with partners in advocacy has expanded my understanding of “making change” within the wider context of human rights work.

In Siddarth Kara’s book on bonded labour, he highlights the fact that bonded labour is not only a system spilling into multiple industries, but that it involves varying amounts of violence and oppression. Bonded labour takes many faces. In order to end bonded labour, the approach needs to be multi-faceted.

As member of the Bandhua 1947Campaign to end bonded labour in South Asia, IJM works with various organizations around South Asia. Although every organization with which we work is fairly established in fighting bonded labour, their areas of expertise are often found in less-violent or different areas of bonded labour that IJM does not aggressively counter. In the space of sometimes having very different approaches to the same issue, there is a lot of wiggle room for disagreement in our work.

One of the goals of our Campaign is to improve the current Bonded Labour Act in South Asia. Doing so will make it easier for IJM to do casework, and it will make it easier for released bonded labourers to access critical social services. For much of 2013, our partners were working to produce a document that represents everyone’s feedback on how to end bonded labour. This document will be presented to the government of South Asia, and will probably be added into the Bonded Labour Act. After over a year of effort, the final draft of this document was finished last week. Watching my office learn to collaborate with other organizations in writing this document has injected massive hope into my understanding of the way in which dissenting organizations can fight on behalf of the same issue; fight on behalf of the same people.

As we continue to work, pray for unity and vision. It seems that my term with IJM can best be defined as one of “transition” for the office, and I hope my contribution can be stabilizing and encouraging as we grow and establish ourselves, both internally and in partnership with others. Pray for my team members’ safety as they put themselves into uncomfortable and sometimes dangerous situations in the field. Pray for clarity as we continue to plan and execute projects with the government.

Thank you again to those of you who have supported this season, in prayer and with financial giving. You are a huge answer to personal prayer and your gifts allow me to continue supporting the exciting work of amazing people in South Asia.

Sincerely,

Alice

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Niali and Dhandamajhi

In December, two young men from the South Asian countryside, Niali and Dhangdamajhi, met a labour contractor who promised to set them up with work in a city that would enable them to help feed their families. These two men come from one of the poorest districts in their area of South Asia and it is very common for the young men in their communities to migrate for work, so their attempt to secure work this way is not uncommon. However, instead of taking them to the original area for work, the contractor tried forcing the two men and some others to a brick kiln in another state. During a stop on the journey, a group of these workers managed to escape from the contractor, leaving the two young men alone and still in captivity. In a fit of drunken frustration, the two young men who had originally agreed to move and work had their right hands chopped off. Furthermore, these men were then dumped on the side of the road and left for dead. They stumbled into a nearby village and made it to a hospital, where they received initial care.

Bonded labour occurs at the crux of one person’s desperation and another person’s willingness to exploit that vulnerability. Sadly, these two men who were eager to work ended up in the hands of other people who were equally as eager to take advantage of them. Although they are young, without education it will be very difficult for either Niali or Dhangdamajhi (whose original strength was in their physical capability to work) to find and hold a job in the future.

Stories like these need to be known. If it wasn’t for a reporter out in the countryside of South Asia, Niali and Dhangdamajhi’s torture would have remained unknown and the men who were responsible for their continued trauma would not have been held accountable.

When I returned to IJM two weeks ago, I had an exciting conversation with the Director of Communications about the important need for equipped reporters to be in the places where bonded labour abuses occur. This year, my office will work with another organization to offer a fellowship to reporters in the South Asian countryside. These reporters will receive training on tracking and recording bonded labour in order that they can more effectively share the stories from rural areas throughout this year. With hope, these fellows will be the needed voices to speak for people like Niali and Dhangdamajhi.

In addition to exciting work on the Communications front, I have jumped right into my role as the Executive Assistant to the Director of National Advocacy. Amidst drafting proposals and learning how to request flights, the role shift has already been stretching but it will give me ample opportunities to (attempt to) empower and support the members of our office. I think it’s going to be a great fit.

Two Mondays ago, I walked into IJM to meet 12 new members of our office. The situation is nothing short of an interpersonal Christmas. There are all sorts of new titles to learn like “Zone Head” and “Investigations Specialist”. The next few months will probably be months of major adjustment for our office, but part of my job will be to make that transition as smooth as possible so that people can continue their work.

Please pray for my little branch of IJM during this transition. New colleagues and construction are crucial parts of capacity building, but it can put a strain on the current needs of our work. Pray for me as I try to be as supportive as possible. I hope my efforts in these last moths can be of the “five loaves and two fish” variety.

Sincerely,

Alice

Ps-Would you like to be a part of supporting this work? Then please click here.