The Genesis of Child Rescue New Zealand

In 2001 Tony Kirwan, an expat New Zealander living in Thailand, heard a conversation about a man who had been invited to purchase a child for sex. The conversation had a profound effect on Kirwan, the son of a pastor and committed Christian. He founded Destiny Rescue International, (DRI) an organisation dedicated to rescuing children and to keeping them free from trafficking, sexual exploitation and human slavery.

In 2013 Child Rescue was created to support Destiny Rescue International’s work. Originally named Destiny Rescue New Zealand, its Trustees changed the name to Child Rescue to avoid any confusion with Destiny Church. “There has never been any relationship between the two,” Brian explains.

Funded entirely by donations, Child Rescue supports the work of DR frontline staff - rescue agents, border agents and social workers. Since 2011, rescue, reintegration and community care initiatives have helped free more than 13,000 people - in twelve countries across three continents - through DRI’s work with government agencies and non-government partners in rescue nations.

In the United States, Australia and New Zealand, staff raise awareness and funds to fuel the international rescue work of DRI. “Together, our speakers, staff, volunteers, church and business partners, and supporters fight tirelessly to raise funds and awareness to bring the world one step closer to our vision to extend freedom and hope, and end the exploitation of children within our lifetime,” Brian says.

“God is at the centre of everything we do. We follow the Good Samaritan story principle and make no distinction based on culture, ethnicity or religion.” The aim is to work with children up to 18, however support teams can also be involved in rescues for women and children, including girls in the sex industry older than 18.

As well as supporting rescue work in regions known for trafficking and exploiting children, DRI supports personnel and partner organisations it refers to as ‘undisclosed’ nations - primarily for security reasons. “Some governments are hostile to Christian organisations. Where there are dangers from people being watched, our teams are more effective working under the radar,“ Brian says.

“Circumstances vary in all cases. There is no one-size-fits-all model for the people we work alongside. In many countries we have a community care model. Every survivor has an individual assessment done by personnel trained in trauma-informed resilience training.” Support for survivors is physical, mental and rehabilitative. Case workers involved in the journey may work alongside survivors for years as they provide assistance in finding alternative work and income streams, on the job training and scholarships to study if practical.

Brian says providing formal education is not always a viable option. “Since many of our people come from broken backgrounds, education is not easy. Survivors have a limited range of things that will give them an income.” This also contributes to the lure of the sex industry for young women with no education.

The issue of culpability is complex Brian explains, especially in cases where extended family members may be complicit in the selling or trafficking of young people. Knowingly or unknowingly they may offer their children to devious employers and the children are subsequently forced into unscrupulous situations.

Along with poverty and desperation, ‘filial piety’ is a major contributing factor to the issue of child trafficking. In many cultures familial respect and honour is a deeply embedded value and young people will do anything to provide for their siblings or parents.

The explosion of global online platforms and dark web sites that have enabled paedophilia to flourish, exacerbate the problem and, in some respects, make it harder to detect.

Despite the global scale of the issue and the challenge of keeping ahead of sophisticated criminal online networks, many lives have been saved by the work undertaken by Destiny Rescue International. New legislation and international efforts to bring cases against perpetrators are gaining traction. Collaborations dedicated to exposing and ending online forums, prosecutions and coordinated raids by enforcement and care agencies have had a major impact. “In the Philippines, 159 people were rescued before phony advertised positions resulted in people being sold into domestic servitude.”

In Thailand it has been recently estimated that one in five children are at risk of exploitation.

Brian says, “We fight a global issue on a scale that is several hundred thousand times greater than anything that happens in New Zealand. We are a donor-supported organisation providing a way for ordinary Kiwis - including those who have seen shocking exploitation overseas - to do something about it. These kids often have NOTHING. No school, no job, no parental protection - if they have parents - little legal protection and frequently no food.”

How Parishes Can Help

Child Rescue raises funds via private donations, through personal contacts, special events, ‘Rescue Sundays,’ advertising and through their website. A ‘Rescue Sunday’ involves a presentation to a congregation tailored to the church leadership and audience. The presenter discusses the work and mission of the organisation, drawing on theology and Bible references.

St David's Community Church, Hillsborough Auckland, recently invited Brian Saipe to deliver a presentation at their church service. Mark Paynter, an elder, said, “The message given was received with appreciation and raised awareness amongst our parishioners of the existence of child trafficking and the work done by Child Rescue. The delivery included graphs, spoken word, statistics and video which were highly enlightening, informative and deeply moving.”

The presentation was timely as it coincided with the St David's Community Church men's group promoting a visit to the movie The Sound of Freedom, a recently-released movie based on a 2014 raid on a Columbian child trafficking ring. Mark says, “A small group of us went to the movie which intensified our awareness. One recurring statement from what was said during the service and from the movie stands out - God's children are not for sale.”

Members of St David's Community Church are exploring ongoing involvement opportunities with Child Rescue in prayer, direct donations and giving of art to help Child Rescue raise funds. Some would like to be involved more directly. “This is particularly important as government authorities around the world seek to capture the traffickers themselves rather than rescue the children, leaving it for groups like Child Rescue to engage in this vital mission,” Mark says.

Brian regards all donors as outstanding people. “They show extraordinary compassion and resolve in empowering the rescue of sex trafficked kids; generosity and grace in reaching out beyond New Zealand; intelligence which understands that it takes all of us to find an outrage that says it's not okay to sell kids; and wisdom that accepts Child Rescue is most effective against sex trafficking when it partners with a larger organisation working in countries where the scale of abuse dwarfs any in New Zealand.”

Beyond the range of ways parishes can be involved in supporting the Child Rescue vision - inviting a speaker to address a service or a parish group, hosting a documentary evening to become better informed and raising donations - prayer is the most important form of support.

Brian invites readers to pray for:

· God’s guidance and help in raising up an army to fight against child exploitation

· Child Rescue and Destiny Rescue teams: their safety, spiritual protection and their work, especially in bringing the gospel to the victims

· Abundant financial provision for Child Rescue and Destiny Rescue

· Many more salvations among those cared for by Destiny Rescue staff

· Partnerships with NZ churches, youth groups and schools, and with Christian churches in project nations where rescued girls can be embraced

· Partnerships with like-minded organisations, local businesses, educators and employers

· Strengthened relationships with local law enforcement, governments, families and village leaders in project nations

· Our rescued girls – that they will not return to the sex trade and that our team can help them find a new job that inspires passion and encourages their God-given talents to flourish and for them to find genuine relationships with Christian friends

· An end to people trafficking and human slavery in all forms

· The protection of children who are vulnerable to abuse and for those who are being abused.

Visit www.childrescue.org.nz or call 0800 577 777 to donate or to find out how your parish can be involved in supporting this mission.

Correction