It was reported in November that the partnership of two organisations is helping to combat the horrible, but fast growing, enterprise of child slavery in India.
Selling children brings profit to traffickers, factory owners and brothels. Cruelty, torture and rape accompany this ruthless business. With dedicated workers in India, Siloam Christian Ministries and Childcare Worldwide (CCW) are combating this abuse.
Protective hostel care
‘One way we help children avoid being trapped in slavery is through protective hostel care,’ explains UK Siloam Director Richard Norton. ‘Chennai is especially notorious for trafficking, including children’s brothels. Our hard-working partners there lovingly take care of girls from disadvantaged backgrounds. These girls benefit from protection and education to give them future security. Otherwise, they would be prey for those who entrap these vulnerable youth’.
Brutal treatment
Recent news reveals that the majority of India’s human trafficking victims are female and under the age of 18. One social worker reports how young girls were locked in a dungeon for weeks. Each day they were brutally raped and given very little food to eat. This broke their will so that they would not make any trouble for the brothel.
Individuals are helping to counter this evil on a one-to-one basis through Siloam child sponsorship. With four children of her own, Jean Dickens of Nottingham always wanted to sponsor a child. She has been able to sponsor a vulnerable seven-year-old girl named Dibeeka who came from a sad background. From Jean’s viewpoint: ‘If you can encourage a child, if you can make a difference in just one person’s life, it’s got to be good. So many children in the world are going through bad things’.
