There is a lot of talk about walls in the press these days... We all know about walls, but just to offer a different perspective, let me walk you through the walls that surround the shelter home we built last year for girls in Jalpaiguri, India, in partnership with Women's Interlink Foundation.These walls keep girls safe from those who sold them into slavery, those who brutalized them and profited from their pain, and those who would come back and take them again.
The 10 foot tall security wall makes it safe to go outside to swing, play badminton, or chat with a friend in the sunshine - normal activities most kids take for granted. The wall makes this home a place where our girls can recover in safety and dignity. Without it, traffickers would constantly be preying on the survivors, taking them back to the brothels by force, or through threats, coercion, or false promises. Once I was visiting a shelter home in Mumbai, and the local police actually tried to break in to exploit the survivors there. They must have thought those girls were already so ruined and broken, a little more abuse wouldn't matter. How wrong they were! Our girls are finding the strength to recover and to experience joy and to dream big dreams for the future.
So yes, we are thankful for this wall and we believe there is a time and place for walls. But we also dare to hope that someday, maybe even in our lifetime, we can take down this wall, and that the girls will be free to roam without fear or rape or abduction. Made By Survivors is currently raising funds to add a third floor to Jalpaiguri Shelter. Please Check out our campaign on Crowdrise and help us build walls of protection and love for survivors.
