Sunshine Coast charity helps rescue 22 girls from brothel

A SUNSHINE Coast-based charity has helped free 22 girls - many underage - from a Thai brothel.

Last week Destiny Rescue assisted in a raid in which the brothel manager was arrested.

Thai police carried out the operation in Chiang Rai after a covert intelligence operation by Destiny Rescue identified the establishment as employing child sex slaves.

The Christian not-for-profit agency is based at Warana, has fundraising arms in Australia, New Zealand and the United States, and runs operations in six Asian countries including Thailand, Cambodia and India.

It has eight undercover teams in Asia and since in 2001 has helped rescue and rehabilitate 1500 former sex workers, both male and female.

The group has doubled its operations year on year - in 2012 it rescued 200 people and in the first six months of this year has reached the same figure. It aims to have rescued 100,000 people by 2020.

As well as conducting intelligence operations and assisting local police forces, the group helps to reform former sex workers, offering them education and employment.

Destiny Rescue country manager David Jones acknowledged the organisation had a big fight on its hands, however he said it was making a difference.

"The youngest person who we have in our care is a five-year-old," he said. "We'll take them in until they're fully trained. So from five until they're 20 they'll be with us."

A child is trafficked once every 26 seconds and the child-trafficking trade is the now largest and fastest growing illegal trade in the world.

The organisation is largely reliant on donations and Mr Jones said it needed assistance to continue its work.

"Because we're doubling the number of children we rescue year by year, it's imperative that we get more sponsorships," Mr Jones said.

"What we're doing is working in a lot of impoverished areas and helping people to become economically self-sufficient, teaching them to speak English, so that they're not caught up in an illicit trade."

http://www.dailyexaminer.com.au/news/destiny-rescue-helps-free-girls-from-brothel/1974436/

One word..............Disturbing!

I find it extremely disturbing that an organization like "Destiny Rescue" is necessary. BUT IT IS!

I find it extremely disturbing that it is happening right here in our back yard. BUT IT IS!

I find it extremely disturbing that this happens AT ALL!!! BUT IT DOES!

Thank you Scea. (sincerely)

Thank you for bringing this very uncomfortable and disturbing article to our board. It deserves more attention.

It seems well worth following up on some of the links to learn more about Destiny Rescue and who they are, what they do.

They have a number of programs here in Chiang Rai that I had never heard of before that deserve some support.

Local businesses such as the "Destiny Coffee Shop". (Several others, but I have to re-read)

These businesses seem to be aimed at offering an employment alternative and there-fore a brighter future to the rescued individuals.

Ironically, I was chatting with my sister today about charities and how frustrating (understatement) it is that many have become big business with well paid "Administrative Staff".

The purpose of the fund raising, in many cases seems to be for supporting a fat bureaucracy while only a small percentage of funding makes it to those that need it.

At first glance, this organization claims 2% administrative costs and that is raised through separate funding. I'll look deeper into that.

This is truly a very ugly topic. It deserves awareness.

This may also be an opportunity to help make a difference, even if it's by choosing to support those local businesses that attempt to help.

Other methods of involvement are on their web page. I haven't read all of their pages yet, just many of the headers.

For now, I have nothing left to say..........

Aft

This topic is about girls being rescued from a brothel, posts not related to this have been removed.

Would prefer it if they didn't force their religion onto those they are helping but it doesn't take away the good work they seem to be doing, well done.

I will agree that this was 'a good and Godly deed', but I truly expect those girls will soon be back working at the competitor's brothel. Such slavery continues around the world, because it is still sanctioned by different cultures. Without cultural change - which every culture fights - such will continue for many generations to come.

To the best of my knowledge this has not been reported in any of the local news papers, this story has come from a news paper on the Sunshine Coast in Australia, this seems rather strange to me.

I had a rather strange PM about this last night as well.

I had a rather strange PM about this last night as well.

Would you care to share it with us please.

I think not, PM does mean private.

I'll see what develops.

Perhaps Don could be enlisted as a spotter of naughty places, to be followed up upon later.

To the best of my knowledge this has not been reported in any of the local news papers, this story has come from a news paper on the Sunshine Coast in Australia, this seems rather strange to me.

NGO H.O. based at Warana, Sunshine Coast

What did happen to the Grey Man NGO ?

I had a rather strange PM about this last night as well.

Would you care to share it with us please.

Sharing PM's on the open forum is not allowed:

20) Not to post personal messages from other members, whether in full or in part.

I've searched for confirmation of this story in local media as well as our friend "google". Nothing. Nada. Zip. Zilch.......That is odd.

I have a friend in the local BiB and will make some inquiries.

Pasta, I agree, these folks do push their religious beliefs strongly but the task they have chosen is worthy.

Attempting to help the victims of the sex slave trade in the name of humanity is enough for me. Choose your own God, but don't push on others.

Dighambara, Trying to do something positive to change the reality and educate those involved is a far better option than standing by and uttering "wow, thats crappy....but it will never change". This comment is not meant as a personal assault towards you. I was also aware, but blissfully absorbed in my own happy reality. I still am, but some times a reality check is a welcome thing. It is true that it is also a challenge to confront the cultural acceptance of slavery in some countries. Or child slavery, even more disturbing. Child sex slaves? At what point do we finally state our own opinion and raise our voice that something HAS to change?

What is required to incite change?

That would be awareness, initially.

From there.... involvement and then action.

Prostitution is not what has got me all fired up.

It is a sad state of affairs, but it is reality. Another topic in another thread for another time. (I'm sure it may have been covered already, a dozen times or more!)

What has me pissed is that there is a market for child prostitution and that reality needs to change.

What opened my eyes is it is in MY BACK YARD!

I truly hope that this news article is true.

I truly hope that some kids where saved, even if one does not go to work "across the street" and has a chance at some sort of future, thats cool.

It is not a normal thing for me to get worked up like this. It's about damn time!

Back to the Destiny Rescue folks.......they seem to have a lot of plans for Chiang Rai. I Dig that!

P.S. - No PM for me last night, but I sure am curious!

I had a rather strange PM about this last night as well.

Would you care to share it with us please.

Sharing PM's on the open forum is not allowed:

20) Not to post personal messages from other members, whether in full or in part.

I was aware of this Metis and, as always, strictly conformed to the rules.

Not for nothing is the name of sceadugenga held up as an example to all members on this forum.

I've searched for confirmation of this story in local media as well as our friend "google". Nothing. Nada. Zip. Zilch.......That is odd.

I have a friend in the local BiB and will make some inquiries.

Pasta, I agree, these folks do push their religious beliefs strongly but the task they have chosen is worthy.

Attempting to help the victims of the sex slave trade in the name of humanity is enough for me. Choose your own God, but don't push on others.

Dighambara, Trying to do something positive to change the reality and educate those involved is a far better option than standing by and uttering "wow, thats crappy....but it will never change". This comment is not meant as a personal assault towards you. I was also aware, but blissfully absorbed in my own happy reality. I still am, but some times a reality check is a welcome thing. It is true that it is also a challenge to confront the cultural acceptance of slavery in some countries. Or child slavery, even more disturbing. Child sex slaves? At what point do we finally state our own opinion and raise our voice that something HAS to change?

What is required to incite change?

That would be awareness, initially.

From there.... involvement and then action.

Prostitution is not what has got me all fired up.

It is a sad state of affairs, but it is reality. Another topic in another thread for another time. (I'm sure it may have been covered already, a dozen times or more!)

What has me pissed is that there is a market for child prostitution and that reality needs to change.

What opened my eyes is it is in MY BACK YARD!

I truly hope that this news article is true.

I truly hope that some kids where saved, even if one does not go to work "across the street" and has a chance at some sort of future, thats cool.

It is not a normal thing for me to get worked up like this. It's about dam_n time!

Back to the Destiny Rescue folks.......they seem to have a lot of plans for Chiang Rai. I Dig that!

P.S. - No PM for me last night, but I sure am curious!

A Police Major that lives on the same Moo Baan as me said he'd not heard of anything either and said that usually something like this would be all over the local news, especially if the police allowed foreigners to assist which is very rare.

So, being a skeptic, I wonder if this could just be fundraising propaganda by the charity involved? It's no secret that most of the (tax-free!) money received by missionaries, NGO's etc is actually used to keep them in a more than comfortable lifestyle (new cars, international travel, expensive education for their children, generous salaries, nice houses) with very little actually going to, or being spent on, the people they are supposed to be helping. So a story like this released in Australia will keep the $ rolling in even if it is fabricated or exaggerated. I'm sure that isn't the case with this one, despite it not being reported here or a commissioned police officer not knowing anything about it

I think these NGOs are known for greatly exagerating the truth. I've also found it strange that such a high percentage of the missionairies live near each other, in Western neighborhoods, in Chiangmai, living lifestyles they would never be able to live in the States. That's a shame for the few, who are really doing worthwhile work.