Missionary Activity Among Children in Southeast Asia

My intention in selecting this topic for translation was not journalistic sensationalism, nor was it to present new information. The widespread injustice in regions of East Asia and the overwhelming deviance there have become widely talked about among the general public, as well as across most media outlets.

What actually caught my attention was this Christian woman who dedicated herself in the prime of her youth to performing a humanitarian mission like the one she undertakes—a role that Muslims might be more deserving and worthy of carrying out, along with similar endeavors that repel injustice and spread fairness. What also drew my attention was the determination she possesses in facing the means of torture she is subjected to and the continuous threats she receives. I do not wish to place a halo around a woman moved by her faith; rather, I ask: If what a woman can offer to satisfy a humanitarian calling reaches the point of risking her own life, to what extent can the determination of a Muslim woman reach, given that she possesses motivations and goals that transcend the boundaries of this world? There are many circles that Muslims forget to carry the Islamic dawah to, and this circle is one of them.

Journey of Pain and Knowing the Truth

She is a 29-year-old woman who completed her studies in social sciences and specialized in child psychology. Feeling constrained by the walls of the hospital where she worked, she went to prepare a report on the miserable living conditions of children in refugee camps in Thailand. There, she noticed the disappearance of many children. Unable to leave the matter without follow-up, she decided to search for the secret behind their disappearance, thus beginning a journey of pain. Preceded by her tears, she says: "The search process was extremely harsh, but the harshest part was knowing the truth: the soldiers guarding the hospital were kidnapping or buying children from their parents and selling them in turn to vice traffickers." Knowing the truth marked the beginning of a new phase for this woman.

Fighting Vice and Modern Slavery

Cooperating with a volunteer, she began her difficult and risky humanitarian mission with determination and steadfastness. Pretending to be a customer, she arranged a schedule allowing her to visit most houses of vice. She actually visited 60 houses within 3 months, covering long distances traveling between several cities, never refusing to pay their requested amount in dollars in exchange for meeting these children who were exploited for despicable purposes without regard for the most basic rights of childhood and humanity. The woman says: "We would spend the night with the child, talking to them, reassuring them, listening to them, and then leaving at dawn. One day, we bought a 6-year-old girl named 'Tul' for $1,000 and returned her to her family. Here I received the first warning from the management of the gangs specialized in stealing children. Later, they seized me at night and burned my body with cigarettes—the punishment they use with every child who resists their desires and refuses to carry out their tasks to the fullest." However, torture was not to deter the woman from her resolve to continue the search.

When she married, she chose a man who would be her help in achieving her humanitarian hopes aimed at rescuing these children from what they suffer and supervising their upbringing and care in safer environments. Despite numerous obstacles and strict surveillance imposed on her by gang members and benefiting clients, her confidence and determination grew. Among the realistic figures she obtained during her tours in a country with a population of 56 million were 250,000 children—aged 6 to 16—forcibly exploited in vice trade. 85% of them were infected with contagious venereal diseases, and 28% were infected with HIV or carried the virus. Meanwhile, the annual number of tourists reaches 83,000 European tourists; and how could it not be, when various tourism offices and bookstores specialize in seductive advertisements about places selling human flesh at very cheap prices?

Mrs. Marie-France says: "I witnessed the ugliest form of slavery, which exploits children to satisfy the abnormal desires of adults." She continues: "An official told me that we should not judge matters from the perspective of civilized traditions, as prostitution here is a cultural phenomenon. I am amazed at a cultural phenomenon that uses torture, burning, and breaking bones as a method to coerce children and exploit them in acts contrary to the lowest human and child rights." These methods of torture were proven true after examining the bodies of the 1,000 children rescued from those dens. The woman exerts great efforts to secure funds to rescue children and care for them in small villages she oversaw the establishment of, where she opened a school and secured a safe life for them on the banks of Kwai Island. She also exerts even greater efforts to persuade well-off families to shelter some of these children.

Victim Stories and Rescue Efforts

One of the rescued girls directs a painful look toward her rescuer and tells her story: "I am 14 years old and suffer from syphilis. Two years ago, my mother sold me to a merchant who in turn sold me to vice traffickers. I refused to surrender at first; they tortured me through burning and choking until I surrendered. After two months, I attempted to escape and succeeded in reaching my village. I threw myself into my mother's arms, but she asked me to follow her. Along the way, I discovered she was leading me back to the harmful place where I had been. I preferred suicide and threw myself into a canal, but they rescued me and returned me to where I was. I hated my life and constantly wished for death. One day, I wrote a letter, gave it to a customer, and begged him to deliver it to my teacher, fully aware that if the letter fell into the owner's hands, he would kill me, and I preferred that over continuing that way of life. The teacher delivered the letter to Mrs. Marie-France, who rushed to rescue me. Because I do not want my younger sisters to be forced into the same thing I was forced into, I filed a lawsuit against my mother, who was sentenced to 23 years in prison."

A Global Call to Fight Vice

This woman went on to raise awareness in political circles and present evidence until she finally gained the support of a state minister who declared war on vice and drug traffickers. He became the first man to acknowledge the existence of facts denied by others, stating frankly: "There are 400,000 HIV carriers among us." This means that the year 2000 will bring millions of deaths. The minister addressed Western countries, begging them to stop promoting vice and asking them to ensure their tourism goals are humanitarian and refined. His appeal was not directed at Europeans alone, but also extended to Americans, Australians, and Japanese. Regrettably, no one to date has actually answered this man's call, as everyone encourages human trafficking in Thailand. Perhaps Switzerland is the only Western country that distributes accurate awareness brochures to avoid venereal diseases and resist the methods and offers of vice traffickers in its tourism offices and airlines, while the rest of the Western countries have no notable positive role.

Mrs. Marie-France lives under threat and knows she could lose her life at any moment, yet she insists on seeing the smile in her children's eyes. Although they burned down some of the shelters she founded—where she re-implants reassurance in the hearts of children—she continues to raise her voice high and exert her full efforts to achieve her humanitarian goals.