We have rescued 104 Christian slaves from the brick kiln.
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by
Farrukh Saif
Farrukh SaifA recent study has revealed that slavery is one of the most serious crimes in the world, with a slave being forced to work for another person.
Our organization’s mission is to eradicate slavery in Pakistan. When our staff visited one of the kilns in May 2023 to gather data on Christian slaves, it was discovered that 18 families worked as slaves in a brick kiln. This was owned by a rich and influential landlord in South Punjab Pakistan. It is reported that families who cannot pay their debts by June 1, 2023, will be forced to give their daughters to Muslims for marriage.
Christian slave families were worried about their daughters’ futures. Our organization identified these families as subjected to extreme human rights violations. As part of our mission to provide relief and support in such cases, we felt a moral obligation to help them. We decided to focus our efforts on the 18 Christian families, as they were particularly vulnerable and at risk.
Taking care of 18 families (104 individuals) was a big task. The costs of the rescue mission itself, plus the costs of housing, food, clothing, and other essentials for the families were all considered. In addition, the team had to find places where the families could live and work and arrange for any necessary medical or psychological care. Within a few days, we arranged funding for this mission with the support of our partners and donors. The rescue of these families was largely contributed by one of our board members and some individuals.
On May 31st, 2023, we Rescued the families from the Kiln and moved them to safer locations in other cities. In addition, after the rescue, we found shocking and heart-wrenching stories of these persecuted Christian slaves. In the coming days, we will publish their stories and short interviews.
These families were given new homes, essential necessities, and jobs to restart their lives. This was a way to help families get back on their feet and become self-sufficient. The homes provided stability and security for the families, the essential items provided them the basics to survive, and the jobs gave them an income so they could run their families’ affairs without any obstacles.
