Post Redemption - Rehabilitation after slavery

"Community and education are vital components of the rehabilitation process. Without education children may end up in the same predicament as their parents"

This week's blog focuses on the process of redeeming a family from modern slavery. Jordan Sala Tenna, one of our Directors, has spent time gathering information to share with us.

No Easy Task

Redeeming someone from modern slavery is no easy task. For both the enslaved and the organisations working towards redemption, there is a danger that plans may go very wrong. Tensions are high in these situations, and the legal and social vulnerability that slave owners face in the process can create serious risks for all parties involved. But if this hurdle is navigated successfully, what exactly is someone released from slavery supposed to do? Where do they live? How do they find work? How do they pick up the pieces of a broken life? To answer these questions I spoke with Angela of Miracle School Ministries.

Angela and her team work solely with modern slaves within the brick kilns in Pakistan. Here, generational debt servitude is common. Grandparents through to grandchildren, with no age limitations, work tirelessly for little pay. Desperate conditions cause people to take out small loans from kiln owners, with the hope of paying the debts off quickly. However, they soon find the debts have spiralled out of control and with no bookkeeping done by the kiln owners, it is the word of powerless and poor workers against powerful business owners, often with criminal and political ties. 

Beginning The Process

This is why work done by groups like Miracle School Ministries is so vital. They are able to manage the tension and negotiate with kiln owners towards a positive outcome. With a smile across her face, Angela tells of one such family they recently released from a brick kiln. As a family generationally indebted to kiln owners, they were suffering terribly. The 14 year old daughter was raped by one of the employees and needed care. But under threat of worse suffering, the daughter could not go to the police or the hospital, so Angela and her team used private contacts and resources to give care. Eventually, they were able to use the horrendous circumstances to leverage a deal for the freedom of the whole family.

What happens next?

Post redemption, the family will enter a five to six month rehabilitation program that Miracle School Ministries offers. During this time, the Miracle School Ministries team find work for the father and if applicable, the mother too. Usually this work is in a warehousing environment, and in this case, it was a cleaning job for the father. The mother is often found a sewing role within the enormous textile industry in Pakistan. Here they are paid livable wages and are no longer under threat of harm. Angela noted that gaining a job is a significant encouragement to the men. They can finally take control of their lives and provide a decent life for their family. Often, if men can’t find work after being freed, they return to the kilns. 

The family will also have a rental property provided for them. It’s a simple one bedroom house, but they can live rent free for the rehabilitation period. The houses are chosen based on their proximity to work and Miracle School’s church and school buildings. Community and education are vital components of the rehabilitation process. Without education children may end up in the same predicament as their parents. Many generational slaves don’t even realise they are slaves; it’s all they’ve ever known, and Angela says for some, they have never left their village. Education can raise a child above this situation and provide them an achievable goal of a better life. Incredibly, all education given by Miracle School Ministries is provided free of charge to the Pakistani people.  

Building Community

One of the essential aspects of community is the Bible studies run in home churches. It’s a meeting place for the minority Christians who are able to celebrate faith in Jesus and be encouraged that their lives are of great importance in the scope of God’s plan. Angela noted that the Bible study groups on the kilns are predominantly attended by women as the men are often so defeated by their lack of capacity to provide for their families. The thought of their lives being valuable is incomprehensible to many, but that often changes upon release. A fresh hope is given and the Bible study groups provide a place to connect with others and better establish their faith.

At the end of the rehabilitation period, the families need to become financially independent. Miracle School Ministries still maintains contact with the families, but they must now pay their own expenses. However, this challenge is now achievable. Where formerly working on the brick kilns the entire family was paid 900 rupees a day, now the father is paid 1500 rupees per day just for his own labour. The children are now able to attend school and the mother has the ability to provide a safe home with food and comfort for her family as well as the potential to work if desired. 

The rehabilitation program that Miracle School Ministries provides is essential in helping families avoid taking desperate actions. It is the difference between someone staying free or going back into slavery. We look forward to seeing the ways we can partner with you and Miracle School Ministries to not only get people out of slavery, but to provide a healthy life afterwards.  

Join Our Mission:

For more information on how you can be part of making slavery obsolete through your investment with New Rivers, follow this link to learn more and join other investors. 

We are always interested in feedback and new ideas that people may have with respect to changes that can be made at the brick factories and any other businesses that New Rivers is involved in. We look forward to hearing from you - email us at info.newrivers@gmail.com.

Pictured: Manfred, Michelle (centre) and the New Rivers Team