Wednesday, 8 February 2023
Around the world there are over 4,000 SIM workers serving in more than 70 countries who are convinced that everyone needs to hear the Good News. Motivated by the desire for our eternal hope to be made known in least reached communities, our workers serve with their gifts and skills. Some use their professional skills and expertise; others are involved in church planting, Bible translation and theological training. Some of our workers reach families by ministering to the holistic needs of a community. In whatever ministry they serve, we all work together to make disciples of Jesus.
In the countries and communities where our mission workers serve, the risk of human trafficking is very real for many people. SIM is committed to responding to the injustice of trafficking and exploitation as a natural expression of our discipleship in action.
For Freedom is SIM’s anti-trafficking and exploitation ministry responsible for coordinating SIM’s global anti-trafficking response. For Freedom provides training, support and strategic guidance to SIM workers, local churches and partner ministries around the world.
Karine shared, “We minister in contexts where people are vulnerable in so many ways, at different times to different risks as they emerge. Some of these risks include health crises, wars, natural disasters, cultural behaviours, forced marriages and the need for work. No ‘one’ ministry approach is sufficient to
support people, so working together is valuable.”
For Freedom believes that at its core, human trafficking is about the exploitation of vulnerability. By addressing core causes of vulnerability, people and communities are kept safe from exploitation and the risk of trafficking. Isolated, unconnected individuals are at greatest risk of being trafficked. The For Freedom team equips communities and churches to prevent human trafficking by building awareness,
relationships, protection, resilience, integrity and transformation.
“For Freedom Building Blocks framework gives us vision for how response can address needs, help provide safety measures and allows us to creatively respond to communities and individuals. We build relationships and as a result, we get to know them and their challenges,” said Karine.
For Freedom has established a network, which includes over 30 people from 20 countries. The network which involves regular mentoring and training, creates the opportunity for SIM workers and projects to be equipped in their antitrafficking efforts. “In the For Freedom network, people in related ministries are supported and encouraged and further equipped,” explained Karine. “It also allows those in incessantly lonely and weighty roles to connect with those in similar positions.”
One SIMaid project that the For Freedom team have been journeying alongside in the Network is the Children’s Uplift Program (CUP). CUP seeks to protect and bring freedom to women and children on the streets of Dhaka in Bangladesh. In this city, there is a large population of homeless mothers and children, and it is difficult to find safe employment. These vulnerable women and children are at risk of exploitation and trafficking.
CUP offers holistic care to these mothers in high-risk situations by inviting them to join a 1-year training program. In the program, they are taught vocational skills so they can find secure employment once they finish the training. The women learn sewing, jewellery-making and attend literacy and numeracy courses. While their mothers attend the program, their children are looked after in day care.
CUP seeks to prevent trafficking and exploitation by empowering these mothers to break the cycle of poverty and gain skills to secure safe employment. Sanu* is one student at CUP whose life has been transformed.
Sanu's story
“Feeding my children and keeping a roof over our heads is my main concern in life,” Sanu shared to an outreach worker at CUP. Sanu is a 32-year-old woman and has three children. Her working life started at the age of 10 when she was sent from her village to Dhaka City to be a house helper. Sanu’s mother wanted a better life for her and thought it would be a good opportunity.
Since then, Sanu has worked many jobs to try and provide for her family. She has been a maidservant, worked in garment factories and loaded bricks for construction. Her husband is not able to work full-time due to a chronic illness, so she has even greater pressure to earn money. Her life has not been
easy at all.
After losing one of her jobs, Sanu begged on the street for help as there was no other way to provide for her children. Sadly, when women are in extreme need like this, they are vulnerable to exploitation, abuse, and trafficking.
However, praise God Sanu’s life changed after she was introduced to CUP and started attending the program. Her sense of responsibility and love for her children made her thrive and complete the training program. She is now in the process of transitioning to employment to one of CUP’s
partner businesses.
Sanu is excited to learn even more skills as she begins this new job. She is determined to keep working hard to achieve her dream of achieving a stable income so that her family are safe and well cared for.
*Name changed for protection
PRAY & FIND OUT MORE:
Would you or your church like to partner with For Freedom? Visit
sim.org.au/forfreedom to pray, give and find out how you can serve with For Freedom.
GIVE: Do you want to see women like Sanu break the cycle of poverty? Give to SIMaid's CUP project here:
sim.org.au/cup.
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