42 Freed from Slavery at Indian Brick Kiln

I received the following in an email from the International Justice Mission today.

This time last week, 42 men, women and children were living as slaves in a brick kiln. But now, they are free.

International Justice Mission Chennai got the call late at night. A government official several hours away was planning a rescue operation to free families trapped in forced labor slavery. He had attended an IJM training about the laws against slavery earlier this year, and he was calling IJM for advice.

Over the next several hours, IJM staff offered guidance. Working through the night, with his training materials as a guide and supported by the team on the phone, the government official found and freed eight families from slavery.

Since 2010, IJM Chennai has trained more than 1,000 government officials just like this one. “It might seem like training government officials is just a drop in the bucket, but it actually has a ripple effect,” explains Saju Mathew, IJM’s Director of Operations in South Asia. “When government officials outside the districts where we work start spreading freedom, we know transformation is happening."

SOURCE: www.ijm.org
www.ijm.org | PO Box 58147, Washington, DC 20037
All text and images © 2012 International Justice Mission.