Grace as Justice May/June Edition, Vol 2. Issue 3

GRACE AS JUSTICE graceasjustice.com Volume 2, Issue 3

A 21

May 2017

C.R.E.E.R.

AFRICA F REE THE S L A V ES

MeCAHT

CONTENTS A21 Cam paign CJ M oodley

Fr ee Th e Slaves 4

William Gr een bau m

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M au r ice M iddleber g

C.R.E.E.R In t er view w it h GA J

M eCAHT 8

M edia Cam paign

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Again st Hu m an Tr af f ick in g

Happy Hear t s An ia Nost er

GA J 10

Rw an da: Lan dscape f or Ch an ge

Ch allen gin g

M ach in e Gu n

Heigh t s

Pr each er

Ch r ist in e Beden is

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Book Review

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EDITOR'S CORNER I recently read a book about passionate abolitionist Harriet Beecher Stowe, who wrote Uncle Tom?s Cabin and even met with Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War. According to both Lincoln and General Robert E. Lee, Stowe was responsible for Great Britain?s failure to extend diplomatic relations to the Confederate States. The reason was due to her intense and determined writing. This served to inspire me all the more to put my talent into work.

Taking the thing one does best and putting it to work to end this atrocity is the least we can all do.

doing their part. From students to expats, media movers to major organizations, each person and agency is taking a place to stop the human rights abuse of slavery. It bears repetition that no one person or agency can end human trafficking. Governments cannot end it. Individuals cannot end it.

Agencies cannot end it. However, if all these groups join the effort, it can ? and it w ill end. Whether you are protecting orphans, becoming a mentor for an underprivileged child, pushing for government reform, or taking cases to court, you are an asset to end the atrocity of human trafficking and slavery. Let?s make huge steps to ending it in 2017. Do what?s in your hand and join the movement.

In this edition, I am delighted to have connected with people in Africa who are

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THE A21 CAM PAIGN

by CJ M oodley What?s the second most lucrative illegal commodity after drugs and before weapons? Human beings. This is a sad reality concerning human trafficking, not only internationally but in South Africa. It's real and it?s happening in our back yards. If you consider the fact that every three seconds someone becomes a victim of human trafficking or that there are more slaves today than ever before in history, you too would join the movement. The A21 campaign is a non-profit organisation that's fueled by radical hope to see people free from bondage and restored. Operating since 2008, our founders Christine and Nick Caine lead over 12 offices in 11 different countries globally. We are the new abolitionist in the 21st Century whose legacy is freedom.

reaching vulnerable members through various methods. One of the ways A21 reaches out to communities, is by connecting to schools and offering tools such as the ShineHOPE program.

ShineHope is an international human trafficking prevention program designed to equip every girl with an understanding of her intrinsic value and lessons aimed to provide tools for protection.

We have also launched a school/youth curriculum: Bodies Are Not Commodities. This is our education program and curriculum that equip teachers or coaches to use in the classroom. It's a helpful tool as it provides the same formate as a standard Life Orientation class. Not only do we provide presentations within schools settings, catering to various ages, we bring awareness to cooperates and business professionals. From training Social Workers to airline cabin crew members, this is a great way to cover all aspects that are vulnerable to trafficking.

When you read that 1% of victims are ever rescued, this can be daunting. But when you attach a name to a statistic ? it changes everything. Our solution: -

Reach the vulnerable Rescue the victim Restore the survivor.

Community members can get involved in our A-Teams, which are constantly expanding across South Africa

The higher the demand, the higher the supply. We can disrupt the demand by

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and Africa. They are an extension of A21 South Africa office, connecting with communities we can't reach on a weekly bases. A21 also hosts various events to raise awareness about human trafficking, such as the Walk For Freedom. An annual walk that happens around the globe. This powerful movement is done silently, to represent all the victims who can't speak for themselves.

the National Human Trafficking Resource Line was launched. Since launching there has been a total of 25 victims of trafficking assisted through the line, dating until the current date in March 2017. In February alone, we saw 16 rescues. Call specialists are available 24/7 to take reports of potential trafficking cases. All reports are confidential and callers may remain anonymous. Victim assistance is offered such as; screening of potential victims of trafficking, repatriation and case management.

Part of our solution is to focus on rescue. We seek justice by representing survivors in court and assisting with the prosecution of traffickers, working closely alongside law enforcement on the ground to support raids, identify victims through our resource lines, assist in the prosecution of traffickers, represent survivors in court proceedings, and collaborate with governments and other NGOs to eradicate slavery at every level.

You can play an active role by being aware and reporting suspicious activities. If you are being trafficked or if you are seeing any suspicious activity in your community that looks like human trafficking, you can report a tip through e-mail or by calling.

Remember, if ?YOU SEE SOMETHING, SAY SOMETHING?! We also offer training to law enforcement, first responders, hospital staff, governments, and transportation authorities to identify slavery. Using our first-hand experience in assisting survivors, we help professionals identify victims in their workplace and give them the tools they need to make referrals.

One call can save many lives. Our Resource Lines exist to facilitate hope and empower people to report human trafficking if they suspect it. We currently have Resource Lines set up in Greece, Bulgaria, and South Africa. August last year

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Another important component to our solution is to restore. We aim to restore survivors and equip them to live independently. This is done through victim assistance, providing access to education, housing, counseling, medical treatment, employment, and repatriation based on their individual needs. We serve to empower a generation to take back their lives and impact the legacies to follow.

A21 aims to equip anyone, regardless of job occupation or social status, to be a part of the fight to end modern slavery. There are numerous ways you can get involved (see p. 7).

Education Restoration CJMoodley is a 26 year old who believed the rumor that she can actually make a difference.

She is a part of the internship program at A21, under great leadership of country manager, Katie Modrau. She has seen first hand that prevention and awareness are powerful tools to eradicating modern day slavery. She believes we need more individuals who can fearlessly speak and do something about injustice in addition to prayer.

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- Raise awareness ? Corporate events, birthday parties, high teas etc.

- Request a Guest Speaker from A21 ? Form available on website (www.a21.org).

- Join a local A- team ? Please contact our South Africa Head Office on (021) 551 0971.

- Fund Raise ? Host shows (Art, theatre or talent shows) or sales (Baking, jewellery or clothing). Run for a cause (Marathon etc.).

- Host prevention and awareness talks within your community - Specific public dates.

- Become a monthly partner or donate a once-off gift ?

More info on our website.

- Walk For Freedom ? 14 October 2017 - 16 days of activism ? Take part in awareness or hosts events - Social Media - Share the post form our social platforms to bring awareness to people in you're world. Social Platforms: A21 South Africa ? Facebook, A21SouthAfrica ? Instragram,A21 ? Twitter & National Human Trafficking Resource Line - sa_resourceline - Volunteer at A21 - Facilitate a ShineHope program within your community.

A21 Cam paign

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C.R.E.E.R. Cen t r e de Rein ser t ion et Edu cat ion pou r les En f an t s de la Ru e

In Grace As Justice?s Vol. 1, Issue 3 edition, C.R.E.E.R. (Centre de Reinsertion et Education pour les Enfants de la Rue ?

Center for Reinsertion and Education of Street Children) took time to explain in detail the issues of trafficking in Ivory Coast as well as what they were doing to end it.

some were given to family members who falsely promised them a better life in Ivory Coast. C.R.E.E.R. also runs awareness campaigns in villages explaining the law regarding child labor; that children should be in school; and how to identify a trafficked child. The center continues to move along with its expansion, adding more exploited, trafficked and abused children.

At that time, founder Chloe Grant explained the reason for avoiding the word ?trafficking? in their title was due to the word not being used/allowed under Ivory Coast?s government. The former president refused to recognize trafficking existed at all in Ivory Coast ? much less child trafficking. Since this time, the government has changed hands and has not only allowed the word to be used, but has also taken up the charge against slavery by planning homes to help victimized children.

While these centers have yet to be completed, they are underway.

In our most recent interview, Chloe informed us of a new phenomenon of seasonal trafficking forming within the country. For the first time, she notices a serious increase in sexual and labor trafficking (for instance, water carriers) to accommodate the trafficking of individuals for the cocoa harvest. It is an oddly grotesque victimization, using victims to victimize.

Amidst the progress, the center continues to have its challenges. For instance, they have or have had several children who have suffered malnutrition.

Some also do not have birth certificates, which usually bars someone from attending school. Quite obviously, many of these children suffer severe psychological problems, which can cause serious acting out in school and at home.

Located in Abengourou, eastern Ivory Coast, 28 kilometers from the border with Ghana, the agency takes in children identified as trafficking victims, gives them a shelter, feeds and clothes them, gets them back into education while looking for their families. Some of these children were kidnapped from neighboring countries; others have been sold by their parents; and

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One of the longest standing challenges for CREER is the issue of land.

They continue to deal with broken promises over land, which leaves them without a large enough space to create the presence they need. Ideally they need an area that would provide a farm, workshops and more in order to give children the skills they need to continue their lives and avoid re-trafficking.

expect makes planning forward difficult at best.

and

carrying

Finally, one of the needs Chloe discussed was that of good personnel. It is often necessary ?to have eyes in the back of one?s head? to make sure things are done properly and no one is profiting off the children. Recognizing that prevention is one of the keys to ending trafficking, she also needs nearly an army of people willing to educate those in the villages. This is certainly no small task. If you wish to connect with Chloe and the CREER team, you can find them at: http://www.creer-africa.org/ Chloe indicates they are always looking for individuals, and at present they have a pressing need for

Funding is one of the primary issues of all agencies dealing with the trafficking of persons. CREER is no exception. Due to the nature of donations, funding also is unpredictable. One good month could lead into a strained one. Consequently, not knowing from month to month what to

In f or m at ion on C.R.E.E.R.

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PLAYGROUNDS IN W AR ZONES

by An ia Nost er Nur joined a militia group at the age of ten. He was bribed with food at a time when there was nothing but hunger at home and fighting all around him. Growing up in his home country of Somalia, he cannot recall a time without conflict. Like most youth and young adults that we come across in our trauma recovery groups, he describes a childhood rampant with death, hunger and fleeing from fighting. During his four 'very long and bloody' years with the group he was trained to throw hand grenades and says that the pervasive rule was 'to obey or get killed'. Nur still struggles with guilt, especially for killing people. Our Happy Hearts trauma healing groups focus on disengaging the cycle of anxiety, anger and negativity that often afflicts those who have experienced trauma or compound stress. The simple techniques are surprisingly successful. After completing the program Nur said that he felt calm and clean in his heart. For the first time he began to feel hope.

To restore faith, not only in the possibility of a hopeful future but also in oneself, is a significant step in the healing and reintegration process. When even the dignity of your own moral compass is

stripped away, it's a challenge to learn to trust yourself and your own basic judgements again. While dealing with the trauma and loss, we encourage everyone to focus on celebrating their strengths, such as their incredible resilience, and to believe that they have the capacity to not only make it in life, but also thrive and make a valuable contribution.

Ali, now seventeen, was also forcefully recruited at the age of ten. His life was threatened if he didn't join. He was with a militant group for five years, during which he feared for his life and saw many of his friends die. Some were even trained as suicide bombers, but these he said, were often 'persuaded' for a long time. He described the treatment he received as horrible and felt that respect for humanity did not exist. Ali says that he was brainwashed and found it increasingly difficult to understand the difference between right and wrong, until he could barely think for himself. However, his closing words at our trauma healing group showed a resolved and clear-minded message to the world; ?We are brothers. We are not supposed to kill each other. Let's live in peace.?

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Stories like Ali's and Nur 's are not uncommon in a country plagued by hostilities that span decades, but surprisingly little help is still available for children and youth fortunate enough to break away from their direct involvement in conflict. Clearly a lot more has to be done.

Somalia has only very recently ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), and even though it is impossible to make militia groups comply, the government is working towards having a child free army by the end of 2016.

At Happy Hearts we believe that no child should be without access to family, education and play. These are essential building blocks for individual development and a healthy society, especially one severely fractured by war, without which it is impossible to heal or thrive. Our dream is that one day there will be a playground and school within walking distance of every child in Somalia. In addition to our home and school for war orphaned children, we

are currently working on a project to build the first known public playground and community center in South-Central Somalia, to make trauma healing, education and play easily accessible to the community in the capital of Mogadishu.

We have the privilege of seeing the country of Somalia, commonly known as the most unstable and dangerous place on earth, emerge from beneath its war ruins stronger and more resilient than ever. We are beginning to see lost childhoods restored and those traumatized by war remembering to play, dance and sing once again. We hope that one day playgrounds and schools will litter the skyline of Somalia and that AK-47's and the dangers of forced militia subscription will be a distant thing of the past. This article was written by Ania Noster, the founding director of Happy Hearts, a humanitarian relief and development charity, passionate about bringing hope and practical help to war-torn places, such as Somalia.

Click h er e f or m or e in f or m at ion on Happy Hear t s

Will you do. . .

. . . what' s in your hand?

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Work i ng on th e Coast

by Christine Bedenis

It starts with deception. A woman has five, six, seven children and she?s unable to care for them all. She struggles to feed them and can only afford for a couple to be in school. An extended family member sees her struggles and says: ?I can help. I can take the youngest and I?ll put them in school. I have a nice house. They?ll be cared for.? In Ghana, family extends beyond the mother and father and it is not unusual for children to live with aunts and uncles or cousins or grandparents. Getting help with a child sounds like a chance a better opportunity.

So the children go with the one offering the aid. They get in a van and travel to a place that they think will be nicer than where they have been. But, they end up going to Lake Volta, the largest man-made lake in the world. They are not enrolled in school, but instead forced to work on the fishing boats in modern slavery.

According to the 2016 Global Slavery Index, it?s estimated that there are 103,300 people in Ghana in modern slavery.

Research done by the International Labour Organisation says that there are 49,000 children working on Lake Volta, and 21,000 of them are engaged in hazardous labour.

A recent report from the International Justice Mission says that nearly 60 percent of the children working on Lake Volta have been trafficked there. For the past two years, the US State Department?s Trafficking in Persons Report has placed Ghana on the Tier 2 Watch List. Modern slavery and child labour are a real problem in Ghana and the government?s response has been one of inaction and lack of funding. Both the US State Department?s TIP report and the Global Slavery Index attribute much of the anti-trafficking work that is done in Ghana to non-governmental organisations, which is where Challenging Heights fits in.

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Challenging Heights is a grassroots, non-profit, non-governmental organisation that is based in Winneba, along the central coast of Ghana, about 60 kilometres west of Accra. Winneba, and other small coastal communities are the source communities for children trafficked into the fishing industry. When the construction of the Akosombo Dam, which created Lake Volta, was completed in 1965, it displaced many people who were used to living and fishing along a river. The coastal people, who were more used to fishing in open water from their experience on the sea, saw this as an opportunity for better fishing and moved to communities near the new lake. This created those extended family connections between the coastal communities and the Lake that are now used as the covers for trafficking.

We begin our work in these coastal fishing communities. Here, we do sensitisation events to talk about the realities of trafficking. We encourage children to attend and stay in school and

we foster Community Child Protection Committees (CCPCs). These CCPCs are comprised of local community leaders such as preachers, imams, teachers and students, and their role is to keep an eye out in the communities for trafficking cases.

Through this community engagement, we hear about children who have been trafficked and begin an investigation, where we collect the name of the child, the name of the trafficker and where they are on Lake Volta. Once we have a list of at least 15 children, we set out for Yeji, a small town on Lake Volta, where we base our two-week rescue operations.

Our rescue team sets out on the Lake for two weeks. Upon their arrival in Yeji, they meet with the police and the navy to inform them of the work they are doing and to let them know that we may need their assistance if our negotiations don?t work. The team then sets course for the small villages along the lake, villages that are comprised of mud brick buildings and lack electricity.

There are no markers along the Lake, but our navigator has more than 30 years experience there and knows exactly where to go, expertly navigating to these small villages in rides that last more than an hour.

When our team lands in the village, they meet with the chief and tell him what our reason for visiting is. They will summon the master so that we can begin our negotiations. In these situations, the law is on our side because a family member has requested for the child to be brought home.

We explain that to the master, and if they refuse to turn the child over to us, then we come back the next day with the police. Sometimes, children approach us, asking to be rescued and we do all that we can to help them. Sometimes, when we are with the police, we see children working in boats on the lake and we will rescue them as well. In the moment of rescue, we don?t divulge much information to the children. Many believe the promises of a nice house and money and would refuse to go. Others have been told that they are actually the child of their master and been made to take their name. In order to prevent the child from running away from us, we don?t provide them with much information up front. However, once they are on the boat, our team gives them food and they begin to trust us.

After the operation, the children are brought to our rehabilitation shelter. Here the children are told that they will be returning home to their parents and what the reality of their situation truly was. They are enrolled in basic education classes, as many have never been to school. We take them to the hospital to address any medical conditions they may have and they receive three meals a day as well as appropriate counselling and therapy. The average length of a child?s stay is six to nine months, during which time our reintegration team traces the children?s families and determines their

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suitability for the child to live with them.

As part of the preparation for the child?s reintegration after they?ve complete their rehabilitation programme at the shelter, our reintegration team works with the female caregiver of the child to provide livelihood support in the form of micro-grants of material goods to start or maintain their business. Additionally, we support and advise the children for two years after their reintegration, providing them with the necessary school supplies or supplies for an apprenticeship.

The parents are also counselled on child protection and are warned that if they re-traffic their children we will prosecute them. With all of the support that Challenging Heights provides, we have more than 99 percent success rate of children not being re-trafficked.

Earlier this year, we unveiled our new strategic plan, with our new strategic goal of ending child trafficking in Ghana?s fishing industry in the next five years, and slavery in 10. In order to achieve this, we will gradually increase the number of children rescued each year, beginning with 75 this year and 200 in 2021 for a total of 700 children.

We will provide quality rehabilitation care to 1,000 children at our shelter. Additionally we will support a total of 4,900 caregivers and siblings of reintegrated children with our integrated livelihoods support. We know that trafficking won?t end by simply bringing children back from Lake Volta, which is why we are also tackling some of the main root causes of trafficking.

We?ve identified poverty, naivety and family separation as the main drivers of trafficking in the coastal communities and have and will develop a number of programmes designed to address these issues.

We know we have big dreams, but we believe they are achievable and are committed to our cause, which is to end child trafficking, reduce child slavery and promote children?s rights.

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C h al l en gi n g H ei gh t s

M aking a difference in the lives of A frican children.

Christine Bedenis is the Communications Officer for Challenging Heights. In her role, she tells the stories of survivors of modern slavery in Ghana and how Challenging Heights is working to end it. She has dedicated her life to service and telling the stories of the people she works with.

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WHAT CAN YOU DO SEND STUFF -

-

Send things to groups. You can create a drive at your place of worship, in your neighborhood, at your high school or university or even at work. Always make sure to check on the legalities.

Even if a particular group doesn?t necessarily have something posted on needs, you can bet they probably need something. Write and ask! One group that specifically asks for things as well as money is Stella?s Voice located in Moldova.

JOIN A GROUP -

There are a plethora of groups that strive to fight human trafficking. Find one in your area

START A GROUP -

If a group doesn?t exist in your area, start one! You do not have to wait to be important, organized, or not busy to do something. Start somewhere and see where it goes.

VOLUNTEER -

-

-

Many groups offer volunteer positions making choosing something more difficult than actually going. Volunteer positions exist at home and overseas and can be open even to teens (with parental permission).

Volunteering can be incredible as you touch the abused community in some way; but it can be difficult, dangerous and heartbreaking. It is important to realize that the people who are recovering need a kind and non-judgmental touch. They need positive role models, and they need people who will always be there to love them.

Volunteering can also be more hands-off for things like administrative work. This is incredibly important and needed, and can be something for someone who wants to make a difference but might be having some problems dealing with the concept of the atrocities.

GIVE FINANCIALLY -

We?ve talked about giving time and things, but finances are also important. Think about something you might be able to give in terms of finance every month. Can you spare $10, $20, $30? Think about if 1 million give $10 every month. That is $10 a month. That?s a lot.

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For m er Tr af f ick er Team s w it h For m er Ch ild Slave t o Figh t Slaver y

By William Greenbaum and Maurice Middleberg

Sylvester and Emmanuel were side-by-side as members of the Community Child Protection Committee (CCPC), sitting on plastic chairs and gathered under a tarp to ward off the sun. The CCPC had assembled to talk about efforts to eradicate child trafficking from Hweda, a modest farming and fishing village. Committee members receive no compensation for their work and volunteer their time, though they are typically no better off than other villagers.

We asked: ?Why do this? This takes up a lot of time and energy that you could be using in other ways.? ?I was a trafficked child.? Sylvester told us. ?When I finally returned, no one would believe my experience. Now, thanks to our work, people understand and are acting.?

Photo Credit: William Greenbaum

Emmanuel said: ?I was a trafficker.

The easiest cases were buying children who had lost a parent. I really didn?t know it was illegal and didn?t think about it being wrong.? Now these two men ? one who had been trafficked and the other a repentant trafficker ? have joined together to end child trafficking in their community.

There is a long history of children being sent from Hweda and communities like it to work in the fishing industry on and around Lake Volta. The boys, typically 8-15 years old, work on dangerous, unstable pirogues to haul in heavy loads of tilapia and perch, while the girls are used to clean and market the fish.

Free the Slaves and our front-line partner, In t er n at ion al Needs Gh an a, had encouraged the formation of the CCPC under the auspices of the U.S. State Department-funded Child Protection Com pact Par t n er sh ip. The compact, which was launched in 2015, is an accord between the Ghanaian and U.S. governments designed to dramatically reduce child slavery in the fishing sector. The collaboration between Free the Slaves and International Needs, the Gr ow in g Up Fr ee Pr ogr am , is targeting 34 highly vulnerable communities with goals of prevention, rescuing and caring for trafficked children, and reducing the vulnerability of their

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families that underlies child slavery. So far, 20 communities have been reached.

As our visitation group moved from village to village, we heard : many tales of child enslavement. The girl with a blind mother and deceased father who was entrusted to someone who later trafficked her. The boy who was sent to live with an uncle so he could attend school only to be trafficked. The girl from an impoverished home who was sent to live with a family that promised schooling, only to turn the child into a domestic servant.

The Hweda CCPC is typical of those established in the targeted communities.

Members receive training and coaching so they can lead their communities in action against trafficking. The CCPCs form learning groups of community members who become educated about child slavery, child rights and child protection.

Awareness-raising events linked to market days and festivals have been organized.

CCPC members go house-to-house to educate parents, identify at-risk children and uncover cases of child trafficking.

The CCPCs meet with religious, traditional and other community leaders to enlist their support. They also visit schools to educate children and teachers.

Community exercises are held to dramatize the importance of vigilance; for example, child protection circles put children in the middle of a circle of adults, with the message, ?All the children in the community need our care. Look out for each other ?s children.?

The most important outcome of these activities has been to spur new, protective norms and encourage parents,

working with Free the Slaves and International Needs, to track down and retrieve their children. Children who are rescued are placed in a network of shelters, where they can be safe, receive health care and counseling, catch up on missed schooling and transition back to a life of freedom. After an adjustment period in the shelter, the children are returned to their homes and families. After the return, the children are monitored for a period of time, which also helps the families cope with the reintegration process.

We had the opportunity to visit the Hovde House shelter maintained by Ch allen gin g Heigh t s, where the children are treated with great care and sensitivity.

Children are assessed using a Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder checklist.

They receive various forms of therapy, including art therapy and narrative therapy.

The Children?s Circle is a safe space where they can discuss any topic they choose. A Children?s Council gives them the space and authority to learn decision-making, a privilege previously denied to them. The children, who have lived with violence, are taught new ways to handle anger. A sign in the school reads: ?My hands are not for hitting.? Children are assessed as to their readiness for reintegration into their home families and communities.

The mobilization of communities is paying off. Over the course of two days, we visited five villages in the Central Region of Ghana. As we went from village to village, the consistent message we heard was that community education and mobilizing were changing attitudes and behaviors, leading to reductions in child trafficking. So far, more than 60 children have been retrieved;

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they are in shelters or have been returned to their families.

Our visit to Ghana was enormously encouraging. We saw firsthand that educated and mobilized communities can become a bulwark against child slavery. We left cheered and optimistic that, with time, 34 communities will become protected spaces where children can live safely and grow up free.

Editor?s Note: William Greenbaum is a member of the Free the Slaves board of directors.

Maurice Middleberg is the Free the Slaves executive director. Stills in this blog post were photographed by William Greenbaum. Learn more about our Ghana program, including videos of a child slave rescue, here.

Photo credit: William Greenbaum

Photo Credits: William Greenbaum

FR EE TH E SL AV E S Photo Credit: Robin Romano

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M ed i a C a m pa i gn A ga i n st H u m a n Tra ffi ck i n g, i s d oi n g i t s pa rt i n fi gh t i n g h u m a n t ra ffi ck i n g a n d sl a very i n A fri ca . Th ei r sh ort a n d l on g fi l m s h a ve sh ed l i gh t on t h e d ecept i on of t ra ffi ck ers a n d t h e t ra ffi ck i n g of i n d i vi d u a l s i n a w i d e ra n ge of si t u a t i on s from ch i l d m a rri a ge t o i n t ern a t i on a l l a bor a n d sex work .

Eu r ope in m y Hear t

Th er e Is Som eon e 24

Pu r posef u l En t er t ain m en t

k

A Saf eh ou se f or Wom en

Por t ia

M y St or y

M edia Village

Rw an da: Lan dscape f or Ch an ge Rwanda is a country well known for the genocide that took place in 1994, resulting in the brutal murders of nearly 1 million people. While the insanity was stopped and the country stabilized, the incredible trauma left in its wake opened more doors for brutality to abound, this time in the area of human trafficking.

Rwanda is a source country for trafficking, which means girls and women (and at times boys and men) are trafficked out of its borders into various countries.

While many are trafficked to the surrounding regions, others are sent to the U.A.E., Malaysia, the U.S., China and Europe for either sexual slavery or domestic servitude.

There is good and bad news coming from the country on the level of trafficking and the progress of fighting it.

Unfortunately, not all forms of trafficking are illegal. However, illegal forms of trafficking are defined as slavery, forced labor and forced prostitution as well as child prostitution. Human traffickers are usually prosecuted under these laws, although not always. The police are sometimes present at the exchange of

Change isn't just possible, it's necessary.

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trafficked persons, making it difficult to arrest and prosecute many perpetrators.

Additionally, the government does not provide protective services to victims unless they were child soldiers. Foreign victims are offered a one-month stay in the country after liberation, but are subsequently deported regardless of the hardships they might face in their home countries.

There is positive news, however, including the rapid progress the country is making. After the genocide took place, the country was left with a population of about 70% women. These women, who previously were not permitted to participate in many social or governmental activities, went into action to pick up their lives and save their country. Certain men in the government suddenly realized that women were a part of the population and needed to represent their country. They therefore required a 30% participation in the government by women. Women have now become the majority in the government holding over 60% of the offices. This alongside a progressive new president has brought some real social change that has caused country growth; poverty reduction; and effective legal response.

Trafficking was originally met with small fines and a maximum of 6 years in prison. Now it can bring a 15-year sentence and fines up to $16,000 ? a huge sum in Rwanda. Whether or not these harsh penalties are enacted is unknown. While the concept of human trafficking is largely misunderstood, even among lawmakers, progress is being made in this area. Over 150 people have been rescued in the past 4 years and the Interpol liaison office in Kigali

From atrocities to modern civilization, Rwanda is an example on how the world can change

International Airport has caught several traffickers leaving the country. The government has created a checklist for all members of the judicial system to follow while investigating and making arrests. The Ministry of Education has also created a ?catch-up? program for children who have been rescued out of child labor or prostitution. These programs provide basic education for those who missed school due to being enslaved.

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Rwanda before and after - a testament to change.

MACHINE GUN PREACHER ?One thing about life on the edge with God is that you?re fearless.

Might as well be. There?s nothing to lose because you?ve already given it all away.?? Sam Childers

Machine Gun Preacher, by Sam Childers is a fascinating walk into the life of a former rebel become preacher, now fighting another man?s war. Before Childers was born, there were two prophetic preachers who indicated he would one day be a pastor. His mother had every reason to believe this wouldn?t come true after seeing her son become a violent drug user who loved to fight. Yet, Childers became a biker, had numerous brushes with the law, and then met Jesus.

After a series of events unfolded, Childers found himself in the heart of South Sudan fighting a brutal group of people whose atrocities were well-known around the world. Unafraid to shoot back at the LRA, Childers quickly developed a reputation as he rescued children and began his children?s home in the midst of LRA territory.

Childers writes in a simplistic and

effective way, showing himself to be interested with the lives of children and not in fame and fortune. He calls things the way they are, and does not mince words.

His bluntness might come across to some as aggressive, but to those who can look past their religious boxes, he will be a breath of fresh air. He truthfully writes: ?Children are being brutally tortured and murdered by the tens of thousands, and all the world does is sit around and talk about it.? All the world, that is, except Sam Childers.

Machine Gun Preacher will challenge you to ask what you believe and will explode the self-righteous boxes of many Christians who have it all figured out ? and yet have never done anything. It will challenge your concepts of doing vs. praying; how both are important; and why both need to go hand in hand for the effective Christian.

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