Last week, I had the privilege of going on an operation as an observer. We only rescued one girl this time (as planned), but she was very young. I am thankful that we were able to rescue her before she was transferred to a brothel. She is an orphan and was sold to the traffickers by her own sister and brother-in-law. It gave me joy to see the hope she expressed when she was told about going to an aftercare home where she could study. The problems of poverty and trafficking are huge, but there are some differences we can make...
Friday, August 21, 2009
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Beggars
I watched Slumdog Millionaire shortly before leaving the U.S., and it certainly rings true in many ways. For one, organized begging is a problem here. Women walk the streets begging with babies over their shoulders, but it's impossible to tell whether the babies are their own. One friend of mine watched a woman making her rounds with a crying baby; when the baby finally stopped crying and seemed to fall asleep, the woman hit the baby until it started crying again.
And so, with this information, I harden my heart to the suffering around me. Even passing observation tells me that it is all theater. The girl who comes up to beg, scrunching up her face as if dying of hunger, I see the next day running and laughing as she plays on the street.
But what if even the laughing and playing are deceiving--just momentary bits of happiness in a world of suffering. The divide between rich and poor is real here. The caste system, although legally abolished, still holds thousands in poverty. What will become of the girl on the street in another ten or twenty years? And if I don't like that answer, is there anything that can stop it? I wish I could write an answer, but on this front I have only questions.
And so, with this information, I harden my heart to the suffering around me. Even passing observation tells me that it is all theater. The girl who comes up to beg, scrunching up her face as if dying of hunger, I see the next day running and laughing as she plays on the street.
But what if even the laughing and playing are deceiving--just momentary bits of happiness in a world of suffering. The divide between rich and poor is real here. The caste system, although legally abolished, still holds thousands in poverty. What will become of the girl on the street in another ten or twenty years? And if I don't like that answer, is there anything that can stop it? I wish I could write an answer, but on this front I have only questions.
Monday, August 17, 2009
Brothels
I haven't been able to blog much since I don't have internet where I live anymore, but I thought it worthwhile to put something on here for my last week of work.
I have been thinking about what I have learned over the last twelve weeks. But I don't know if "learning" is the right word. Learning conjures up books and lectures. I think this summer has been more about experiences. This last week, I'll try to share a few of those experiences:
Earlier in the summer, I had the opportunity to visit a brothel, thanks to a connection with a local NGO called Oasis. Oasis works with both pimps and prostitutes, providing education, health care, recreational activities, counseling, and God's hope. In my work, I'm used to seeing pimps and madames as evil men and women who deserve to be jailed. But Oasis sees the same people as victims of an evil system. And I understand. Some of the madames were forced prostitutes themselves. Many of the pimps start at a very young age as cleaning and errand boys. They are thrown into a vicious system where good and evil, normal and tragic, are turned upside down, and there is no one to point out truth.
I have been thinking about what I have learned over the last twelve weeks. But I don't know if "learning" is the right word. Learning conjures up books and lectures. I think this summer has been more about experiences. This last week, I'll try to share a few of those experiences:
Earlier in the summer, I had the opportunity to visit a brothel, thanks to a connection with a local NGO called Oasis. Oasis works with both pimps and prostitutes, providing education, health care, recreational activities, counseling, and God's hope. In my work, I'm used to seeing pimps and madames as evil men and women who deserve to be jailed. But Oasis sees the same people as victims of an evil system. And I understand. Some of the madames were forced prostitutes themselves. Many of the pimps start at a very young age as cleaning and errand boys. They are thrown into a vicious system where good and evil, normal and tragic, are turned upside down, and there is no one to point out truth.
That's not to say that I don't believe the pimps and madames should not be prosecuted to the fullest extent allowed by law. But I think I do have a better picture of reality now and the need for the structures of oppression to change.
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