Ex-slave Aftercare

Another research assignment for school...

EX-SLAVE AFTERCARE

When it comes to helping victims of slavery, while the original rescue is vital, rehabilitation and after care is also a very important part of the process. In 1950 Nepal illegalized the slave holding practice of one human being owned by another, but an alternate form of slavery, debt-bondage was still legal and quite common. While debt-bondage is a good idea in theory, one borrowing money to be repaid through labour, there can be a lot of corruption in the system including extreme mistreatment of those in bondage and such high interest rates that there is no hope of getting out. Fifty years later, on July 17^th, 2000 an announcement came over the radio that debt-bondage had been declared an illegal practice and any slaves’ debts were now wiped clean. It seemed great news, but with no aftercare to be provided, slaves were thrown on the streets with little or no belongings and no place to go. Kevin Bales, president of Free the Slaves, paints the picture of what he found in Nepal during this time in his book, Ending Slavery, “Emancipation and eviction arrived together, and while happy to be free, the Kamaiyas were suddenly homeless, jobless, and hungry.” (105) This story is eerily similar to that of suddenly freed slaves in North America in 1865, and underlines the importance of a carefully placed aftercare system for survivors of human trafficking. Here we will look at the many needs presented to aftercare providers today and how different justice seeking organizations are attempting to meet those needs.

The first things to be addressed in aftercare are the basic physical needs. According to the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, a branch of the US Department of State, “Safety is the first priority of aftercare programs. Safety involves physical security measures and a thorough understanding of—and commitment to—safety measures from all shelter staff and clients” (sect. 2). Once safe, survivors are able to move forward in healing and rebuilding. The central needs for healing are the obvious: hygiene, nutrition and first aid - basic things that we take for granted. It’s likely, though, that slaves won’t have received such treatment in a long time, especially since the price of slaves is much cheaper than it’s been in the past (Bales,12), so traffickers aren’t too worried about keeping them healthy. Kevin Bales, the previously mentioned author, tells stories in Ending Slavery about survivors, particularly children, who are so grateful for good food that it’s almost as remedial as therapy. “When asked about their time in slavery, many children talk not about the violence they endured but about the bad food” (43). Once food is taken care of, there are things that we would never view as important until we come in contact with slavery; this includes the need to have tattoo removal available, as this can be an emotional barrier that keeps survivors from living a fully free life because they feel still branded by their past slaveholders (Walk with Me Canada Victim Services).

Therapy is a vital piece on the road to a fully free life, and the main emotional hurdle for ex-slaves to overcome is the idea of self worth. It is a widely accepted reality that when you’re constantly told something about yourself, especially something negative, you begin to believe it. People coming out of slavery have been told for years that they have no worth outside of their output, and cases can be even more extreme in instances of generational slavery, or capture at a young age. Organizations such as International Justice Mission, Free the Slaves and Polaris Project have found group therapy to be an extremely effective route to healing:

“By bringing their pain and their abuse out in front of everyone, they take control of it. By sharing in the experience of others, they learn that their enslavement was not their fault but a pattern of abuse and exploitation in which they were simply victims. And by sharing their pain and anger, they also begin to see their own power to put a stop to slavery” (Bales 44).

Here we see that after years of abolition work, Bales has found patterns in the emotional pain of ex-slaves, and has found group therapy to be an effective piece of the puzzle. If we can connect a recently rescued victim of slavery with someone who can relate to their situation, but has come out of it or is working their way out, the opportunity for change in the ex-slave’s life is phenomenal. Having someone to look up to in a mentorship situation can be just the relationship that the client needs that will show them they can make it out; they can rebuild their lives (Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons).

Education is another vital piece of the puzzle to equip survivors for moving on to a “normal” life. Modern day abolitionist, Zach Hunter, explains the role of education in a slave’s life in Generation Change this way, “Oppressors want to keep people illiterate because it makes them easier to control…If slaves are taught to read and write, they are elevated from ignorance. They are more aware of their rights. They are given a renewed sense of self-worth” (81). Aftercare facilities strive to not only provide classical education, but in instances where the victim is a child or was a child when captured they also help by teaching life skills that would’ve been taught by parents had they been in a situation where this was possible. These children, teens and adults may not have been taught anything about money management, relationship advice, how to get a job, or other basic necessities for moving forward. In instances where the survivor is able to work again, once rehabilitated, organizations will give specific training for a trade that they would be able to support their family with. The good news is that ex-slaves are so eager to learn that they catch up quite quickly, and are able to go on to lead their villages and families to greater things. Hunter gives one example of a man named Given who was rescued from slavery and now “concentrates on his studies and has made his education a priority” and “sees his education as a gift” (83.)

Once healed, the aftercare facility becomes transitional housing as clients work on getting a job and a place to live. Polaris Project says of a woman saved from her traffickers in the United States, “The transitional housing played a fundamental role in Claudia’s recovery. She was able to focus on other needs without having to worry where she was going to live the next day” (http://www.polarisproject.org/what-we-do/client-services/survivor-stories/619-claudia-support-for-a-survivor par 2). These organizations also try to have a support system for once the survivors are back on their own; for example, International Justice Mission has a weekly meeting in the Philippines for women survivors of slavery who are coping with their new life of freedom.

The reader may have noticed this paper refrained from using the word victim too much, and this comes from not wanting to view ex-slaves as weak or unable to take care of themselves, a point discussed in more detail in Bales’ Ending Slavery (pg 59). There are so many stories of survivors who have gone on to help rescue other slaves, help protect their village from traffickers, or joined the police force to help put an end to the corruption they’ve experienced (for a few examples, see Ending Slavery pgs 34, 45, and 46). Organizations are most affective when filled with people passionate about the cause, and who can be more passionate about ending slavery than someone who’s been through it? When aftercare facilities are successful enough that ex-slaves are able to go on to help end human trafficking, an incredible snow ball effect begins that’s hard to stop.

It seems clear that survivors of slavery, both today and throughout history, should be helped with more than just a rescue, but also with support while getting their feet back under them. Time must be taken to for clients to heal both emotionally and physically and then get ready to move forward through education and life skills training. Ex-slaves are without a doubt strong enough not only to get back to a normal life, but also to take it one step further and help change the world for the better. A great example of this is the story of a woman named Josefa Condori Quispe who has won the Frederick Douglass Award from Free the Slaves for her story of resilience. After being taken into slavery at age 9, she managed to work her way out, and she now runs her own center in Peru to combat human trafficking and provide aftercare to recently rescued slaves. (Freedom Awards) “Every freed slave who has economic options and understands human rights is a beacon of hope to enslaved or enslavable neighbors.” (Bales 59).

Works Cited:

Bales, Kevin. Ending Slavery. University of California Press. Berkeley and Los Angeles, California. 2007. Print.

“Freedom Awards.” Free The Slaves. 2012. Nov 2012. <https://www.freetheslaves.net/SSLPage.aspx?pid=667> Web.

Hunter, Zach. Generation Change. Zondervan. Grand Rapids, Minnesota. 2008. Print.

Hunter, Zach. Be The Change. Zondervan. Grand Rapids, Minnesota. 2007. Print.

International Justice Mission. 2012. Nov 2012. <http://www.ijm.org/> Web.

Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons. “Developing a Consensus on Aftercare Services for Victims of Human Trafficking.” U.S. Department of State. Oct 28, 2008. Nov 2012. <http://2001-
2009.state.gov/g/tip/rls/fs/08/111378.htm> Web.

“Restoration.” Beauty from Ashes. 2012. Nov 2012. <http://www.beautyfromashes.org/contentpages.aspx?parentnavigationid=306&viewcontentpageguid=f1b64a2b-198c-42a4-af2b-c9101edbc7e5> Web.

“Schools and Opportunities.” GoodWeave. 2012. Nov 2012. <http://www.goodweave.org/about/schools_education_opportunities> Web.

Walk With Me Canada Victim Services. Walk With Me Canada. Nov 2012. <http://www.walk-with-me.org/index.html> Web.

“What We Do.” Child Voice International. 2012. Nov 2012. <http://childvoiceintl.org/what-we-do/> Web.

“What We Do.” Polaris Project. 2012. Nov 2012.<http://www.polarisproject.org/what-we-do> Web.