Incredible Slavery Survivor-Activists honored at Freedom Awards

The annual Freedom Awards event in Los Angeles, hosted by FreetheSlaves,  brought international attention to the abolition cause, and honored unsung heroes such as Sina Vann from Cambodia and Veero from Pakistan - both survivors of slavery who have dedicated their lives to rescuing others from slavery.

I was blown away, and humbled, by one small detail of Veero's story: In order to get resources to help rescue her neighbors from bonded labor slavery on farms or in heavy industy, Veero sometimes sells a pot from her own kitchen.  I know sometimes I think I work hard, or have given up a lot to do this work, but imagine if you had just two pots, and you had to sell one of them to free a neighbor?!  Veero lives in a simple thatched dwelling with a dirt floor - from this no-frills headquarters, she has helped several hundred people to freedom.  Talk about keeping it real! 

Sina:  Sina Vann's nightmare began on a trip that she thought would be a vacation. A childhood friend invited Sina to tag along. They were travelling from their home in Vietnam to neighboring Cambodia. "When I stepped into Cambodia, my childhood ended, and the dark side of my life started." Sina was betrayed, and sold into slavery. She woke up covered in blood in a strange room. She had been drugged, and raped. She was 13 years old, trapped in a brothel.Sina was raped by 20 to 30 men nearly every day. If she didn't smile and pretend she was happy, she was beaten. If she hesitated to please a customer, she was tortured.

When Sina was rescued during a raid organized by anti-slavery activist Somaly Mam, she wasn't sure if it was for real. She had been rescued once before, but was brought back to the brothels by corrupt police. But this time it was real. She was brought to a rescue shelter. And a new Sina Vann was born. Sina has dedicated her life to helping others. She now walks back into her own worst nightmare. She helps sex slaves escape, and provides condoms and health advice for those unable to break free, working with AFESIP, an Emancipation Network partner organization (check out these cool silk wallets and card cases made by AFESIP survivors rescued by Sina and her team)

On the street, Sina is fearless and confident, defying the memories that still haunt her.   At the shelter, Sina inspires other former sex slaves to build lives of dignity and hope."The first step is to show them compassion," Sina says. "They need warmth and love because they lack love and warmth in their life."

Veero:  Pakistan is a land of fear for more than a million slaves. They're forced to work-off bogus debts at farms, factories and brickyards. Slaveholders use brutal tactics to keep them frightened. Veero remembers the terror.   "The slaveholder hired men armed with guns and axes, and they guarded us the entire day," Veero recalls. "They would fire their guns into the air at night to terrorize us so we wouldn't try to escape." A local farmer cheated Veero's family, by claiming a debt had never been repaid. Then, came the unthinkable. The farmer demanded more than money. "The slaveholder kept an eye on my daughters," Veero says. "He wanted to use them for sex." This was Veero's defining moment. With the safety of her children at stake, she took a terrifying risk. Alone and on foot, she quietly slipped away from the farm and walked to the nearest town. She staged a three-day sit-in at a police station to demand that authorities take action.Veero's daring escape worked. Police freed her entire family.

Debt bondage slavery is illegal in Pakistan, but illiterate villagers don't know how to stand up for their rights. Veero shows them how. First, she helps slaves overcome fear. Then, just as she had done to free her own family, Veero walks slaves to police stations to begin the legal process. "It would have been impossible for me without Veero," says former slave Chandar Sabahi. "I didn't know the first step to get away from that farm. It was Veero who helped me get free." Veero never learned to read or write. But she has earned the trust of local slaves, and she's respected by police and community organizations. However, the work Veero does is dangerous. Slaveholders aren't happy that she has helped 700 slaves break free. "The slaveholders have sent messages that I will be murdered. But I don't fear them anymore," Veero says. "All people are equal, and I want to free others so they do not suffer what I have suffered. That is the spirit I have inside me."A Future of Freedom Veero lives a simple life and still works on farms to earn a living. But now, she's a free woman and gets paid for her work. She says one of the best benefits of freedom is "happiness." "Our life has totally changed now, we have a social life, we can meet other people and talk to each other," Veero says. This was impossible in slave camps where men were kept in leg irons and women were guarded by thugs. Veero's triumphant escape from slavery has inspired others to believe that freedom is worth the risk. She has formed a small foundation to free slaves. It's called the Saath Saharoo Society, which means "Help Together." "I believe the time will come when all slaves will be free," Veero says, "and I am fighting for them."

Check out these unique earrings and watches hand-made by survivors of bonded labor slavery.

                                   Quotes, photos and bios of Sina and Veero from Peggy Callahan, FreetheSlaves.