How Do We Gain Freedom for All?

How Do We Gain Freedom for All?

Jun 2, 2022

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) contains 30 separate articles each addressing a specific right. This blog will focus on Article 4 which reads: “No one shall be held in slavery¹ or servitude²; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms.”

This is a right that most people would say, of course, you should not hold another human being in slavery or servitude! And yet, some estimates suggest over 40,000,000 people are enslaved in the world today in either labor trafficking or sex trafficking. It is a difficult statistic to actually track since perpetrators are not voluntarily reporting it.

To really understand what human trafficking is, I’ve found it best to learn from some real-life stories. It is far more impactful and makes it more real than just seeing a statistic or number on a page.

To learn about sex trafficking, I highly recommend the book “I Am Not Your Slave” by Tupa Tjipombo and Chris Lockhart.

“I Am Not Your Slave is the shocking true story of a young African girl, Tupa, who was abducted from southwestern Africa and funneled through an extensive yet almost completely unknown human trafficking network spanning the entire African continent. As she is transported from the point of her abduction on a remote farm near the Namibian-Angolan border and channeled to her ultimate destination in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, her three-year odyssey exposes the brutal horrors of a modern-day middle passage. During her ordeal, Tupa encounters members of Africa’s notorious gangs, terrifying witchdoctors, mysterious middlemen from China, corrupt police and border officials, Arab smugglers, and high-ranking United Nations officials. And of course, Tupa meets her fellow trafficking victims, young women and girls from around the world. Tupa’s harrowing experience, including her daring escape and eventual return home, sheds light on the most shocking aspects of modern-day slavery, as well as the essential determination to be free.”- Chris Lockhart

For education on labor trafficking, be on the lookout for a documentary that is currently in development titled, “To Be Free”.  The film shines a light on the pervasiveness of labor trafficking in the United States of America, how we can spot it in our neighborhoods, and the steps we can take to eradicate this form of modern-day slavery on a systemic level. You will hear the unbelievable story of Harold and Dancy D’Souza who endured more than 18 months of slavery in the state of Ohio. The film is produced and directed by Benjamin Ryan Nathan with Martin Sheen as Executive Producer. For more information on To Be Free and how to get involved, contact Ben@allofusfilms.com.

https://www.pingara.com/post/martin-sheen-executive-producer-film-be-free-feature-harold-dsouza

If this particular human right is one you are passionate about, there is likely an organization near you that is doing something about it. I’ve come into contact with quite a few groups that are doing great work, such as:  Philadelphia Anti-Trafficking Coalition, Eyes Open International, Operation Underground Railroad, and Zoe Ministries-Delaware. I’m sure there are many organizations that would appreciate your help!

Something else for us to consider in regards to slavery pertains to Merriam-Webster’s second definition which reads, “submission to a dominating influence (slavery to a habit)”. How many people in our society are held in slavery to drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, sugar, junk food, or any bad habit they just can’t seem to stop? The numbers are probably very high. If we include people enslaved to harmful habits or emotions in the slavery statistic, I wonder how many people are actually free. Even more important, what can we do to help each other be free?

Remember, it is not enough to just know your human rights (although that is a good start); we need to get into action to protect these human rights for ourselves and others.

For a free online course to learn all 30 of your human rights, visit: https://www.humanrights.com/course/

 

Definitions from: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/

¹Slavery

1  : the practice of slaveholding

    : the state of a person who is held in forced servitude

    : a situation or practice in which people are entrapped (as by debt) and exploited

2  : submission to a dominating influence (slavery to a habit)

 

²Servitude

  • : a condition in which one lacks liberty especially to determine one’s course of action or way of life
  • : a right by which something (such as a piece of land) owned by one person is subject to a specified use or enjoyment by another
Right to Life, Liberty, and Security of Person

Right to Life, Liberty, and Security of Person

Mar 28, 2022

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) contains 30 separate articles each addressing a specific right. This blog will focus on Article 3 which reads: “Everyone has the right to life, liberty, and security of person.”

Current events would make it seem like this right does not exist at all, especially for civilians in Ukraine. The truth is this human right belongs to everyone. The problem is there are not enough people who know their rights so it is difficult for them to stand up for these rights for themselves or others.

The people in charge in Russia are currently violating nearly all 30 of the UDHR articles or human rights for civilians in Ukraine. How could that be? Well, there is something called mutually assured destruction (MAD)* that is keeping freedom-loving countries from stepping in to help.

Brad Schaeffer in an article on dailywire.com said, “We are barely on the other side of the divide of the dawn of the Nuclear Age…the greatest moral challenge humankind has ever had to confront. What do I mean by this? I am not convinced that humanity has developed the moral grounding to be the wise stewards of such awesome power. There are currently over 13,000 nuclear warheads dotting the planet, and I am disconcerted by the notion that no weapons system has ever been developed that was left unused…

The great promise governing these weapons of mass destruction is that MAD (mutually assured destruction) will keep any conflicts hemmed in and local, for the risks of nuclear war in which both parties are annihilated is seen by all sides as unacceptable.”

If we had an ideal culture and a high level of ethics on this planet, something like an atomic weapon would never have been dreamed of, let alone produced! Its only purpose is to destroy lots of life—humans, plants, animals–all life over a widespread area. This could take us into a whole other level of discussion but I believe the point is made.

A few years ago, I attended a gathering with local non-profits in the Philadelphia area. One of the Organization Leaders came to me and said, if you are serious about human rights then you need to talk about atomic weapons and their threat to human rights. At the time I thought it was extreme but now in 2022, we have a Head of State threatening the use of atomic weapons and other Heads of States hesitant to get involved because of MAD. It is all MAD!! We are talking about extinction-level destruction.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights came into existence as a result of the atrocities of the Nazis and the destruction of World War II. We need to learn from History! Let’s be sure to bring these human rights to life and prevent human rights violations and anything even close to World War III from happening. I guarantee YOU will come more to life as well.

We can create an ideal culture where all life thrives!

To learn your 30 human rights, take a free online course here: https://www.humanrights.com/course/