From War, Disaster, and Slavery to Resplendent Hope in Sri Lanka
Posted 2009.02.17
By Jenise Steverding
Past Shipments:
- 2010.02.11 – Send a Container of Medical Equipment
Sri Lanka has been dealing with a brutal civil war since 1983 and in December 2004 was hit by a major tsunami which took about 31,000 lives, left more than 6,300 missing and 443,000 displaced, and destroyed an estimated $1.5 billion worth of property. The country continues to struggle by the Tamil Tigers of the north and east for an independent homeland which continues to cast a shadow over the economy.
The new medical clinic is in partnership with Resplendent Hope and is located in the notorious Free Trade Zone. The Free Trade Zone is infamous for the brutal working conditions known to five hundred thousand young people who toil there everyday. It is not unusual for there to be two hundred emergency calls in a single day, many related to emotional crises. Seventy-five percent of the workers employed in the Free Trade Zone are women, age sixteen through thirty, who once left their families in the countryside to find a means of income. Now without family, they find themselves in unprotected living arrangements, harsh work conditions and low wages. They live in crammed small rooms with no privacy or water. They are subject to sexual abuse, rape, exploitation, and many types of predatory practices.
Sri Lanka’s government is labeled as one of the “world’s worst perpetrators of enforced disappearances”, according to a study by US-based pressure group ‘Human Rights Watch’ (HRW). An HRW report accuses security forces and pro-government militias of abducting and “disappearing” hundreds of people – mostly Tamils – since 2006.
- Photo by alles-schlumpf
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Updates & Visuals
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Clinic Leaves for Sri Lanka
Giving Children Hope has shipped a new medical clinic that will help treat children who have no access to healthcare in Sri Lanka.
Health Care and Human Slavery
APHA Reports on the Health Implications of Human Slavery
Human trafficking is a global public health issue. Health issues are ignored until they are critical or life-threatening. Dirty and crowded living conditions, coupled with poor nutrition, cause health conditions such as scabies, tuberculosis and other communicable diseases.
Chronic back, hearing and vision problems may occur from working in dangerous agriculture, sweatshop or construction conditions. Long-term untreated issues such as cardiovascular or respiratory problems, diabetes or cancer may be present. Bruises, scars and other signs of physical abuse and torture may be visible.
Sexually transmitted infections, human papillomavirus, pelvic inflammatory disease, permanent damage to reproductive organs, and HIV/AIDS are often the result of forced prostitution. Victims may be coerced, or in desperation to escape their pain, willingly succumb to drug use.
Victims of trafficking often endure brutal conditions that may result in psychological trauma, such as anxiety, depression, sleep disorders, and post-traumatic stress disorder, disorientation, confusion, phobias and panic attacks. They may suffer feelings of helplessness, shame, humiliation, denial, disbelief or culture shock from being in a strange country.
Malnourishment may be present especially in child victims, as are dental issues. Additionally, children denied social, moral and spiritual development may suffer growth and developmental problems.
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Shipments
2010.03.19 – Chile ($11k) /$12k
2010.03.19 – Tanzania funded
2010.03.19 – Zambia funded
2010.03.23 – Nigeria funded
2010.03.25 – Sri Lanka funded
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