HOW I GOT INVOLVED IN FIGHTING HUMAN INJUSTICES

I grew up in a family who have always been eager and passionate to help the community, as a result, I was exposed to humanitarian work from a young age.

At the age of 18, unsure of exactly what I wanted to do, I made the decision to teach English in Thailand.

Thinking this would be a fun year abroad traveling and experiencing new cultures, I left everyone behind and started this new chapter of my life. With high hopes and no idea of what lay ahead…

Helping people, and especially those in need, had always been something I was passionate about…

This passion drove me to be involved in various outreaches throughout school, and evidently in Thailand also. It wasn’t until a friend and I joined a small outreach program that visited the red-light districts in Thailand, that I realised there was so much more to my ‘simple desire’ to help people. The impact of this program far surpassed my expectations, which resulted in a growing dedication and passion to figure out how to help those in need.

A small group of about four of us embarked on entering the overwhelming, red-light districts; our sole intention was to build positive relationships with the people who worked in these areas. Their stories and motivations for doing what they do completely altered my view and perception of this ‘industry’. They were people like you and I with dreams, plans, aspirations, and a future. Many of the men and women I met were motivated by being the sole provider for their families, getting an education, pursuing their dreams and finding their way through a difficult life with unfortunate circumstances. Having to drop out of school to care for your siblings and support a household was not an uncommon circumstance.

Although my year in Thailand was a fun year travelling abroad and experiencing new cultures it also taught me so much and exposed me to raw human injustices that I would not have experienced anywhere else. Eager to get involved in South Africa, a place that has a high concentration of men and women suffering hardships, I started volunteering at an organisation with a focus on specific streets in an area where street prostitution was rampant. I loved being able to build friendships with these men and women but felt overcome by an overwhelming sense of hopelessness as I learned many of these people were stuck in a cycle of captivity and destruction.

it became important for me to do more… to make a real change and impact.

It was through this organisation that I was introduced to a group of people who had a vision to start a project at significant points of entry and exit in target countries. South Africa, of course, was one of those countries. Embracing this challenge with little more than my brief introduction to some of the injustices I experienced, but with enough ambition and motivation to put my naivety aside. My role, knowledge, and insight quickly grew.

Positioned strategically at significant entry and exit points of the country in order to assess incoming and outgoing individuals with the aim of identifying those at potential risk of exploitation or those that were currently being exploited. Assisting potential victims to stay safe, be aware, and understand the realities of exploitation was a difficult but rewarding undertaking. The opportunity to assist those being exploited, although devastating, was the most rewarding ‘job’ I have had thus far. This position enabled me to speak into the lives of people from all around the world. Challenges arose and we fought to maintain our work and vision in significant areas.

Now back in Australia, I am focusing my fervour and efforts to raising awareness as an ambassador for The Freedom Project, a non-for-profit organisation focused on addressing human trafficking and modern slavery by bringing light into the darkest places through prevention, rescue, and restoration.

Everybody has the right to their own journey in life, unfortunately, many people get robbed of this. According to the Global Slavery Index 2018 ‘40.3 million people are estimated to be trapped in modern slavery’.

My role now, is to bring awareness to human injustices and do what I can to gain support for the projects that are bringing light into these dark places. My journey has been unexpected, fulfilling, and continues to surprise me.

This blog was written by Megan Pettitt, Ambassador for The Freedom Project.

For more information about how to get involved, get in touch here.