Curriculum: A Stealth Weapon Against Slavery

The big push of Relentless lately has been developing a curriculum to work with staff of counter-trafficking assistance programs and beneficiaries themselves to move traumatized people from being victims to being “thrivers”.

But really, what does curriculum have to do with fighting slavery anyway? Shouldn’t we be out there rescuing people, setting up a shelter, or at least running a 5k for charity? Developing curriculum doesn’t sound like a very impactful activity. Quite frankly, it sounds boring.

Empowerment, freedom, recovery, wellbeing, thriving…  This is our vison for those who have been abused, exploited, or trafficked. We say “YES!” to all of those great outcomes and we get excited about the potential and promise of a new life. But let me tell you that curriculum is the most exciting word you’ve heard today!

You’ve heard these terms thrown about by assistance programs. Indeed these are important and lofty goals and we should strive to reach them. The men, women, girls and boys we are serving deserve the best and deserve to thrive. However do we know how to get there? WE may have a vision for their empowerment, but do they?

What does teaching empowerment actually look like? How can you help someone really change his or her behaviors? Those are super tricky questions that we’re addressing through education. Relentless is creating lesson plans on birth control that also promote decision making, first aid that encourages confidence, and teaching about addiction that make space for self-awareness. What’s involved in this process? I’m so glad you asked!

 

 

Angela has been back home nearly a year after spending nearly two years in a residential assistance program for abused and trafficked girls. Although she has been doing OK at home she continues to feel shame and stigma (perceived or real) in her community. There is the usual village banter of sexual jokes, innuendo, and sexual harassment. She knows in her mind that this is not necessarily directed at her or as a result of her past, but it is triggering some negative feelings and trauma about her past.

 

Who: Teaching people who have been through hell takes a unique approach. Here are some of the challenges our students face when it comes to caring for their own health:

–        Risk factors such as little education and childhood abuse make it unlikely that survivors learned how to be healthy as a child.

–        During the prostitution/trafficking experience, little to no importance is placed on preventative care or long term health.

–        Many survivors have engaged in maladaptive coping mechanisms to survive, such as alcohol or drug abuse that negatively impact overall health.

–        Survivors feel a great deal of shame and are embarrassed to ask basic questions about health or make an appointment to see a health professional.

–        These negative consequences don’t necessarily go away when someone has graduated from an assistance program.

 

What: We are creating a curriculum that address the very real health needs of our clients. Sometimes we are teaching beneficiaries about their own bodies and how to make healthy decisions. Other times we are teaching staff how to talk to their beneficiaries about these sensitive topics. Regardless, our ethos is to teach the information in such a way that people leave with correct information, awareness of their current health state, and self-identified practical next steps for how to improve their own health or the health of those in their care.

While in the “the Life”, Angela started abusing alcohol to numb the pain of her abuse and despair. Whilst in the care home she was able to overcome these urges and was quite free from the addiction. But that was then. Now, there are people drinking alcohol in her home and in the village and she begins to drink again – sometimes quite heavily and more often. The despair of her past returns. She is ashamed to admit that she has relapsed, but Angela does something remarkable – she calls upon what she learned, and remembers who she is. She remembers her plan of action that she developed and acts upon that. Angela rises up again, empowered by the little steps that eventually will take her very far.

 

Why: Health and wellbeing is the foundation of any life. As health professionals, we get to talk about topics that would normally be taboo. Hello conversations about periods, sexual hygiene, and addiction! Once you get past the giggly middle school boy inside all of us, it is really a sacred moment to interact with people about the very real questions and concerns they have on this topic. By talking about health we open the door to conversations about self-worth (sleep is important because your body and mind have value and are worth taking care of), empowerment (you are capable of making healthy food decisions for yourself and your family), and dreams (what do you want more than you want the next drink?). No one else in the world is asking them these questions in this way!

Recovery is intended to be for the long term – we don’t want our beneficiaries ending up back in slavery because they were ill-prepared to deal with their issues in the real world.

 

How is it working?

While we’re not at the point of collecting research data on the effectiveness of our workshops (but we are working on it!), we’ve received some powerful anecdotes about our teachings. While working with a partner organization, I had the privilege of teaching trafficked African moms about parenting. The residential supervisor told me before I started that this was probably the first ‘formal’ education these women had received since leaving middle school. No pressure. Over the course of our time together, I witnessed the moms encouraging each other, asking questions, sharing their dreams for their children, question the parenting methods they’d seen and commit to being the best parents possible. It was humbling and inspiring. Education done well unlocks what knowledge people already have and gives them the tools to make choices for themselves. That alone makes all the hard work worth it.

A staff member of a partner organization recently commented after our workshop on reproductive health that she was going to take our method of teaching about the menstrual cycle back to teach her young students because it was so much easier to understand. BINGO! This is exactly what we want!

Are you still asking what curriculum has to do with fighting slavery? A good curriculum with good teaching can change lives, even save lives, and can lead to empowerment, freedom, wellbeing, and thriving and that is something to get excited about!