Isaiah 65: 1“I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me; I was found by those who did not seek me. To a nation that did not call on my name, I said, ‘Here am I, here am I.’
Since I arrived I heard stories of child sexual abuse by school staff and peers, women and children prostituted against their will, migrant workers forced to labor, girls sold by their relatives, and even the story of a young lady raped by 21 men. Some of these stories bring an incredible sense of helplessness, and I am quickly reminded that the magnitude of this organized crime is too big and too organized to be tackled alone.
However, serving with others in Indonesia has greatly encouraged me. I am not combatting human trafficking alone; I am doing so along with many God-fearing, committed advocates, who provide endless hours of pro-bono work to see change in this country. Although the stories are tragic, we are witnessing significant change and we are ever-more encouraged to work harder to combat this form of slavery.
I am currently working on two different projects. First, I am collaborating with the International Organization of Migration (IOM) of Indonesia to complete the 2016 Guidelines for Law Enforcement and the protection of victims of trafficking in handling trafficking-in-persons cases. The IOM Guidelines is a comprehensive response to the prevention of human trafficking. I am in charge of the research and summary of various international and domestic regulations pertaining to regulations on women, children, and human trafficking laws that will be included in such guidelines. Furthermore, I am supervising legal interns at UPH to identify relevant regulations, assist in the completion of their summaries, and provide opportunities to improve performance going forward. Furthermore, we are performing a focused factual research on the ‘Modus Operandi’ (MO) of perpetrators. Mainly, How do perpetrators manage to move victims across borders despite so many regulations? We are studying the falsification of documents, corruption of officials, lack of ethics of civil servants in issuing legal documentation, money laundering, and fraud.
Second, I am collaborating with the Children at Risk Network of Indonesia. The Children at Risk Network is a network composed of different human rights organizations working for the Children’s Ministry of the government of Indonesia. Lawyers and members of organizations such as World Vision, Compassion, and ICLS are working to provide training, raise awareness, and complete a Manual for Teachers and School staff to help them identify potential victims of child abuse and neglect. These efforts will discuss different legal regulations that identify children’s rights and the responsibility of school personnel in the protection of children.
Please continue praying for all of these projects and for all the advocates who desire to be the hands and feet of God in the service of a vulnerable population who has no voice.
This post was written by a Center for Global Justice student intern. The views expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect those of Regent University, Regent Law School, or the Center for Global Justice.
This post was written by a Center for Global Justice student intern. The views expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect those of Regent University, Regent Law School, or the Center for Global Justice.