Rescue

How are People Rescued from Slavery?   

People are rescued from slavery in several different ways: 

RAIDS:  Some enslaved people are freed in raids by international or local agencies (such as International Justice Mission, BBA and Rescue Foundation, in partnership with trusted local police.  Because of police corruption, rescuers must build relationships with one or two key contacts in local law enforcement and the raid must be kept secret from the rest of the force until the last possible minute. 

Rescuers typically visit the brothels for months in advance of a raid, posing as clients and buying time with the girls, but rather than exploiting them, they gain their trust and enlist the girls as collaborators in their own rescue.  If this trust is not gained, the girls will simply flee when the raid occurs, because they have been betrayed so many times and also exploited by corrupt police, so they assume the raid is just another means to kidnap and exploit them.  Sometimes the girls will be forced into hidden cells under the floor, or behind walls, as pictured at left.  The traffickers and madams cleverly manipulate their victims, convincing them that there is no hope and no other options for them besides forced prostitution, and that they will be killed or tortured even worse than they already are, if they attempt to leave by any means.

COMMUNITY TRANSFORMATION:  In some cases - such as regions where there is generational slavery of an entire tribe, caste or cultural group, or bonded labor situations where entire villages are enslaved, it is impractical or impossible to rescue everybody.  Instead, by educating and empowering the entire community, and offering them legal aid, education and real economic alternatives, slavery can be eradicated from the community once and for all. This method has been highly successful for our partner MSEMVS in Northern India, with support from Free the Slaves, and DEPDC/GMS in Northern Thailand

Some victims of slavery find a way to escape on their own, sometimes with the help of a client, or are cut loose when they become too ill to be useful.

AFTER RESCUE: Many survivors need intensive care in a residential setting for two or more years.  The youngest children may need shelter care until they reach adulthood.  Shelters are generally secure facilities with 24 hour guards because of the risk that traffickers will kidnap the girls back.   Survivors in all our programs receive medical care, counseling, education, clothing, recreation, clean and comfortable room and board, clothing, and vocational training.   Loving care, respect for privacy, and dignity are crucial to the success of aftercare programs, so we choose to partner only with shelters which share our commitment to these values.

Made By Survivors supports rescue and aftercare efforts at several partner agencies, including Rescue Foundation in Mumbai, India, Maiti Nepal and Apple of God's Eye in Kathmandu, AFESIP in Cambodia, and Women's Interlink Foundation in Calcutta, India.  We also support a community-transformation model of rescue in Northern India, - in partnership with local agency MSEMVS and international agency Free the Slaves.

If rescue is important to you, you can support these efforts by earmarking a donation for 'Rescue' or by purchasing products made by these rescue agencies and shelters.  Check out these favorites:                                                  photo: Emily George for Touch a Life, Ghana

  Supports Rescue/Aftercare in Cambodia        Supports Rescue in India       Supports Community Transformation in Thailand