Participants:
Series Code: HIM
Program Code: HIM000213A
|
00:07 Child Impact International is an organization giving hope,
00:11 previously called Asian Aid. 00:13 Child Impact International is an organization 00:15 fostering permanent positive change 00:18 in the lives of disadvantaged children and their communities. 00:21 Child Impact is committed to making a difference 00:24 in the lives of children and those who are in need. 00:27 Serving communities in India, Nepal, Bangladesh, 00:30 Sri Lanka, Myanmar, 00:32 and will soon expand to other countries. 00:34 For the last 50 years, 00:36 Child Impact has invested in the futures of people 00:39 and their investment has proven infinite returns. 00:42 Driven by the dedication 00:43 to helping those who have the least, 00:45 Child Impact is an organization 00:47 focused on the welfare of children, 00:49 implementing diverse development projects 00:52 and sponsoring thousands of children. 00:54 Their outreach spans from child rescue operations 00:57 to providing an education for orphans, 00:59 deaf, and the blind children, 01:01 giving them a sense of place, a home. 01:04 But above all, 01:05 Child Impact is an organization giving hope, 01:08 giving hope to children, giving hope to communities, 01:11 giving hope to the ones who needed the most. 01:14 This is Hope In Motion. 01:19 A couple of years ago, Jean Boonstra, 01:22 associate speaker of Voice of Prophecy 01:24 visited India with Child Impact International. 01:30 During her trip to India, Jean met some amazing people 01:33 who are the driving force 01:34 behind Child Impact's mission to reach out to those in need. 01:38 She met with Anita, 01:39 who was in charge of Child Impact's Operation 01:41 Child Rescue program in India. 01:44 Operation Child Rescue is a program that rescues 01:47 and rehabilitates girls who are trafficked 01:49 and sold as prostitutes in the sex industry. 01:52 Jean got to talk to Anita and she shared with her 01:55 the challenges and the dangers 01:57 that she and her team face in rescuing these girls. 02:00 So, Anita, after you go in, 02:03 you and your team, 02:04 and you actually go in on these raids 02:05 yourself personally, these girls, 02:08 you work with them for little while, 02:10 then what's the next step? 02:11 How do they transition from that life 02:15 back to somewhat a regular life? 02:19 Once we finish the rescues, 02:20 we take them to the police station 02:23 for a little bit 02:25 where their stories are taken, their photos are taken, 02:27 and then we have to take them 02:30 to a government shelter according to the law. 02:34 The first place after their rescue 02:36 has to be the government shelter. 02:38 And these are basically sets of buildings with staff, 02:43 but they're not specific to trafficked victims. 02:46 So you can have abandoned girls there, 02:49 you can have a pregnant mother there, 02:52 you know, pre-marital, 02:54 you can have someone who has lost their family, 02:58 you can have somebody who's lost, 03:01 got off a train at the wrong stop, 03:03 so just a mixed group of people inside that place 03:06 and these girls are taken to that place. 03:08 Usually, 03:10 we do the rescues quite late at night. 03:13 For that surprise factor. 03:14 Yes. Yeah. 03:15 And so between about 2 or 3 A.M., 03:18 we end up in this place. 03:19 So the girls are, you know, 03:22 there are about three gates 03:25 before you get inside the place. 03:26 It's almost like a jail. 03:28 It looks like that. It's... 03:30 Sounds intimidating. It is. 03:31 And then once there, 03:34 the girl's case has to come up for hearing 03:38 and we have to find out their backgrounds. 03:41 Many times, because it's a government run shelter, 03:45 the traffickers can end up coming right there. 03:47 Really? Yeah. 03:49 They pose as an aunt, 03:50 a mother, a sister, a brother, 03:53 the only relative in that place. 03:55 And because they have so many cases 03:58 and so many people turning up, 04:02 they don't check credentials. 04:04 And so they can turn up with, you know, a false document 04:09 and we have had many such ones. 04:11 And they can release the girl or they get to see the girl, 04:14 intimidate her more 04:16 or promise to get them out of that place 04:18 because by then, 04:19 the girls really want to get out of that place, 04:20 they don't speak the local language, 04:22 the food is not something that they like. 04:25 Government issued food essentially, yeah. 04:28 And then many times they have told us, 04:29 there are lice in the food or lice in the coffee. 04:31 Oh, my. 04:33 You know, yeah 04:34 and the others are really mean to them 04:35 because they find out that they have been involved in sex, 04:39 commercial sex, and they label them, 04:41 the stigma of being in that place. 04:45 You know, you just want to get out. 04:46 They are desperate to get out. 04:47 Many times these girls have tried to cut their wrists 04:51 and we get a call to say, 04:52 "Please come and take the girls you rescued out of this place 04:54 because they're disturbing everybody else." 04:57 And you go there and they say, 04:58 "We just want to go out of this place. 05:00 The brothel was better." 05:01 You know, so harsh. Sounds horrible. 05:03 So harsh. 05:04 How many days or how much time are they 05:07 in this place generally? 05:08 Well, it can be anything between two months 05:11 to two years. 05:12 Oh, wow. 05:14 Are they cared for, 05:15 are their physical needs, I mean... 05:17 Oh, yes. I mean, I hate to be very... 05:20 I hate to talk about it, 05:22 but the life they were living in the brothel, 05:24 they had a lot of physical injuries I assume. 05:28 Obviously, it's emotional and mental, 05:30 are those things addressed at all in the government home? 05:34 The government does provide a shelter, 05:36 so there is food. 05:38 There is a sense of... 05:41 They have water and clothes 05:43 and people talk to them, 05:45 but they're abused sometimes in different ways. 05:48 There's a lot of sexual abuse 05:49 that happens within those shelters 05:51 especially to the younger children. 05:54 We did a rescue of boys 05:56 who had been trafficked from Bihar to Bangalore 05:59 for labor 06:01 and some of these boys were aged 9 to 12. 06:04 And when we visited them about a week later, 06:07 a couple of them said, 06:09 they didn't like what older boys were doing to them, 06:12 which is implying sexual abuse inside a government shelter 06:16 that is meant to be a protective place. 06:19 It sounds like it's taking them from a bad situation 06:25 and putting them in a so-so situation 06:27 and in that specific case, a worse situation. 06:30 It's true. 06:31 So it doesn't sound like it's an answer, 06:33 but you also don't have a choice. 06:35 Yes. 06:37 So, Anita, you are Christian, 06:41 what difference would it make to be able to take these girls 06:44 and put them in a Christian facility 06:47 where they were nurtured and cared for specifically? 06:51 Now, Jean, you are talking about a vision that 06:54 I have for this, for these girls, 06:56 every girl who is rescued. 06:58 You know, the sense of hopelessness 07:00 inside that place 07:01 when we walk into those brothels 07:03 or when we go into those places 07:05 where they are being forced to hide or to overwork, 07:10 there is just a deep sense of despair 07:14 and a darkness that is so obvious to us. 07:17 And when we get them out of that place 07:19 what we want to give them to replace 07:21 that is the sense of hope that God cares about them, 07:25 that there is a future that He can build, 07:28 and that He can restore, 07:29 and that no matter what has happened to them, 07:32 they are still made in the image of God 07:34 and nobody can destroy that. 07:37 And nothing can, nothing can mar that. 07:41 But you see they've never been told that, 07:43 they've been so abused inside that place that they, 07:47 they couldn't care about themselves. 07:50 So we in our home will have that opportunity 07:54 right from the start to just love on them, 07:57 to be able to give them that sense of hope 08:01 that they need not fear anymore, 08:03 they're not in a... 08:04 They're not in a place that anyone's gonna abuse them. 08:07 In fact, they're gonna receive the opposite, 08:09 that there will be a sense of freedom 08:12 within that place 08:14 where they can make choices 08:16 and that those choices will be guided 08:19 by good counseling and that they will have options 08:22 whether they learn a new trade 08:24 or whether they go back to visit family. 08:27 It will all be under, 08:29 under careful observation and supervision 08:31 to ensure that the best happens for these girls. 08:35 I think part of the story 08:37 that you tell that really breaks my heart 08:40 is when you share how these girls 08:43 once they are rescued some of them, 08:45 a certain percentage of them do go back to that way of life 08:49 because of the shame, 08:50 because they don't feel an option. 08:53 Have you seen the difference 08:56 that Christ makes for the girls? 08:58 Is that the difference that keeps them 09:01 from going back to their lifestyle? 09:03 I think it is the main difference, Jean. 09:07 I mean, to be able to pray with the girls 09:09 and we do pray with the girls. 09:11 You know that I told you, we get some private time 09:14 either at the police station or at the brothel 09:16 before we take them to the government shelter. 09:18 We almost always talk to them about God and pray with them 09:23 because that's the only private time we'll get 09:26 before we are under supervised visits 09:29 in the government shelter. 09:30 But if we had our home, 09:32 we can pray with them every day, 09:34 we can pray with them and counsel them, 09:35 and tell them about a God who loves them, 09:38 and help them to come to terms with that. 09:40 I mean, many of them ask us, 09:42 "Why do you want to do this for us? 09:45 You know, why would you be here?" 09:46 Because I always tell them, "I'm a mother myself. 09:50 You know, I have two daughters, 09:51 I know what it feels like to be inside this place 09:55 wondering what's gonna happen next." 09:57 And they always say, "Why do you take this risk?" 10:00 And I tell them, "It's because 10:02 God has called some of us to these things 10:05 and because it's for God who took a risk for us. 10:08 I mean, that He came for us 10:10 that we might have a life that is free." 10:12 And, you know, 10:14 they are so open to listening to the gospel, 10:17 to knowing, 10:19 but the most important thing, Jean, 10:21 is for them to see the gospel in action 10:24 and that's what we manage to do there. 10:26 Okay. 10:28 But what drives you each and every day 10:30 to continue to put your own personal life in danger? 10:34 You're on the frontlines doing this 10:36 and I imagine your husband worries. 10:39 What keeps you going to do this? 10:43 I think this, the call that God had on my life 10:46 and which I realized about 10 years ago 10:49 when I went out on my first rescue mission, 10:52 just the thought of these girls out there and that, 10:58 you know, something might happen to them, 10:59 that they may never hear about a God 11:02 who loves them. 11:04 Being an Indian women myself, 11:05 a mother of daughters 11:08 just wanting to do the best that we can for these girls. 11:13 It's funny, I never, I never was a brave 11:15 or courageous person growing up. 11:17 In fact, I was very timid. I can't believe it. 11:19 Very timid, very shy. 11:20 Really? Yeah. 11:22 I hated standing up in front of anything, but... 11:25 And I still am very afraid before we go on a rescue. 11:28 Everybody knows that I have my private time, 11:31 but when we finish the prayer 11:33 before the raiding team is out of the door, 11:38 I know that God has gone before us 11:40 and He's already there. 11:42 I mean, there are times, Jean, 11:43 that we search the building for the girls 11:46 and we just don't know where they've hidden them. 11:49 And somehow God shows us where that hidden place is, 11:54 whether it's, you know, a hole in the wall 11:56 that has been sealed up 11:58 and we have to break through that 11:59 or whether it's a reception, 12:02 a hotel reception desk 12:04 and you open the drawer and it's a staircase. 12:07 Really? Wow. 12:08 Into a cellar where the girls have been pushed. 12:09 Oh, my. 12:11 It is God because, you know, 12:12 none of us have had any kind of investigative training. 12:15 And when God shows up there, we know that we keep going on. 12:20 He is going before you. Yes. 12:22 And you are trusting in Him. Yes. 12:24 Well, I have a hard time 12:26 imagining you as a timid young girl. 12:28 You're a great inspiration to myself 12:31 and many who've met you, I know you are. 12:34 Well, I just praise God that you 12:36 and Operation Child Rescue are doing 12:39 what you are doing, Anita, 12:40 that you are facing these problems, 12:42 that you're there dealing with it. 12:45 You know, it's really hard for those of us 12:48 who don't see it with our own eyes 12:50 to really comprehend the level of danger, 12:56 the horrors that these children go through, 12:59 but I just thank you for what you're doing, 13:01 for the ministry that you have. 13:03 Anita, it's always a pleasure visiting with you. 13:06 Thank you. 13:07 Thank you, Jean. 13:13 Current estimates tell us that more than 1.2 million children 13:17 are caught up in human trafficking in India alone. 13:20 The numbers are truly staggering, 13:22 but thanks to people like Anita 13:24 and programs like Operation Child Rescue, 13:27 these young girls and boys 13:28 can be rescued and rehabilitated. 13:31 You can play a vital role 13:32 in helping Child Impact International 13:34 in its rescue efforts. 13:36 Voice of Prophecy has partnered with Child Impact 13:39 to build a rehabilitation home in Bangalore, India, 13:42 to provide a safe place 13:43 where young girls can be given hope, 13:45 healing, and to learn new skills 13:48 all in a Christian environment. 13:49 Please pray for Anita and her team in India. 13:52 And if you would like to help or get more information 13:55 on Operation Child Rescue, 13:57 please contact Child Impact International. |
Revised 2019-06-10