Fighting Slavery

From Empathy to Action

It may seem hard for people who care about the welfare of the stranger to find something positive after the decision by President Trump to end DACA. The future of the Dreamers is now in the hands of a congress that has been deeply divided on this issue for at least 10 years.


DACA was originally set up as a compassionate act. After several years of inaction by congress the policy was set in place by President Obama. Children were sent here by their family to escape poverty, war , hunger and slavery. According to Reference.com Under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals immigration policy, certain individuals who immigrated to the United States as children are able to request deferred action on their immigration status for two years, explains the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Certain guidelines must be met in order to qualify.

The need for a safe haven for children is urgent.

NPR reports the number of refugees, asylum-seekers and internally displaced people around the world has topped 65 million according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.The reports goes on to say,"One in every 113 people on Earth has now been driven from their home by persecution, conflict and violence or human rights violations. Two other ways to wrap your mind around that number: Each minute, 24 people around the world flee their home because of violence or persecution. And if the world's displaced people were their own nation, it would be larger than the United Kingdom." The problem of refugees is not going away any time soon.

• According to UNICEF 1 billion children worldwide are living in poverty. 
• UNICEF estimates 22,000 children die each day due to poverty.

Among the those living in poverty are individuals being sold into slavery. One group that works to free people from slavery The International Justice Mission (IJM) says, "Millions of the world’s poor are trapped in slavery, because there’s no one there to protect them. In many places, the laws against slavery simply aren’t enforced by the police and courts—so slave owners and traffickers know they can prey on the poor without fear of any consequences at all."

• Many of the impoverished children are sold into slavery. 
• There are more people in slavery today than at anytime in history...over 45 million.  
• Five million are children. At least one in four is in India.
• Over 800,000 have been sold into slavery so far this year.
• 1.2 million children are being trafficked every year.

IJM isn't just reporting on this situation, they have put their words into action. To find out more about IJM's mission and how they putting thoughts into action, watch this video.

IJM is a global organization that protects the poor from violence in the developing world. They fight against slavery, sex trafficking, sexual violence, police brutality, property grabbing, and citizens rights abuse.