Youth across the world connecting in one Global Classroom
10 March 2010 - In a slum in India, Ammu, 16, is teaching a lesson. She is not a teacher, but an example of courage. In front a classroom, Ammu shares her story of abuse, the hardships of her life as a domestic servant. Ammu was forced by her uncle to work in a house where she was poorly fed and badly beaten. Her workload only allowed a few hours of sleep and her wages were the bounty of others. One lucky day she escaped her torturers and today she is part of a Global Classroom. Her voice is heard across five continents and others learn from her experience.
Far away, in Egypt, a group of young people listens carefully to stories like the one Ammu tells. The class asks questions and discusses how to put an end to human trafficking and save lives. Here, the story of a girl named Shyima makes an echo in the room. One student reacts and says: "I would try to make contact with Shyima and ask her if anything was wrong. I'd try to take her out one time, and if the boss tells her she can't leave, then I'd tell the police. I would also feed her, and generally try to be nice to her."
The classroom in India is the same as the classroom in Egypt, another one in Australia and others in countries all around the globe. Young people from five continents are joining a Global Classroom as part of Start Freedom, a campaign to inspire young people to become advocates for trafficked people and help those at risk stay safe.
In 2009, UN.GIFT and STOP THE TRAFFIK, launched Start Freedom and started a global webcast against human trafficking targeted at young people. Teaching materials in all six UN languages, Hindi and Dutch were distributed as part of the campaign.
March 8th, marked the beginning of Start Freedom Week with different activities developed by participants as a response to human trafficking. In one Global Classroom, youth around the world came together and engaged in finding solutions to one global crime affecting young people all over the world: human trafficking.