John,

Recently, I shared the story of a little girl, Cassie*, who was lured into online sexual exploitation when she was just 12 years old.

Today, I introduce Bhavani — a survivor of a different type of abuse whose journey to freedom was marked by considerable pain.

When one of her sons fell ill, Bhavani and her husband Kumar had no choice but to borrow money from a wealthy brick kiln owner to cover his medical care. They were able to save their child — but they soon learned the loan was a ploy by the kiln owner to entrap them in modern slavery.

To repay this loan, Bhavani's family were forced into a year-long pattern of exhausting work and harassment that left them fearing death. To make their life even harder, soon after being forced into bonded labor, Bhavani learned she was pregnant.

Forced to work off a bottomless debt in a rural brick kiln, Kumar ended up hospitalized as a result of an injury. With her husband taken away, Bhavani tried to escape with her two young boys — until the kiln owner kidnapped her children to lure her back. “I ran after them helplessly as they took away my children,” Bhavani recalls. “They were crying out for me.”

Help restore the lives of more survivors.

Because of support from friends like you, Bhavani and her family were rescued and fully restored. Without you and your vital support, we would not be able to send help to families and individuals trapped, exploited and living in modern slavery. Bhavani now lives in freedom with her sister and – full of gratitude for her rescue – is determined to build a better life for herself and her family.

We extend that gratitude to you. Please give today to help other victims of bonded labor and exploitation.

Until all are free,

Sharon Cohn Wu
Regional President, IJM North America