This is Eden
Eden is an anti-trafficking organisation based in South-East Asia which is host to more than half of the global total of human trafficking victims.
In 2014 Eden began its programs in Myanmar, a nation that has been a hotbed for human trafficking for years. Political instability, natural disasters, and internal ethnic infighting have led to a devastating lack of opportunity for the people of Myanmar.
NewLife spoke with Michelle, the General Manager of This is Eden, about their outstanding work.
How did Eden begin? Was there a moment or trigger that was the cause for the birth of this ministry.
In 2003, God asked one woman a question, “will you represent my love? …to the women, and to the pimps. To partner with me to see the lost found, to set the captives free, to see my kingdom come. To bring my light into the darkness. Will you?”
20 years later, Eden has reached over 100,000 women and girls and operates in seven cities in three nations.
Could you provide an overview of the mission and goals of Eden? What specific issues or problems does your organisation aim to address?
According to the International Labour Organization (ILO), 49.6 million people are trapped in modern-day slavery.
Our vision is to extend God’s love to people who have been trafficked for the purpose of sexual exploitation. At Eden, we care for the whole person: their physical, emotional, spiritual, economic, and social well-being.
Eden is an anti-trafficking organisation that works in Southeast Asia reaching women and girls that have been trafficked into sexual exploitation or sold as a bride. Our mission at Eden is to Be Light, Bring Hope, and Share Love. This sees us working frontline in the darkest of places to shine God's light (John 1:5); taking a message of hope and an opportunity for freedom and restoration through emergency safe shelter, drop-in centres, trauma informed counselling, medical care, creative therapies, education, vocational training, employment, and empowerment.
What regions or countries does Eden operate in? Are there any plans to expand operations to other areas in the future?
Eden’s operation has shifted throughout Southeast Asia over the years however in 2014 we expanded into the nation of Myanmar and for the last nine years, this has been our focus and base. Sadly, Myanmar is a nation that is unknown to many and has limited international support. Poverty and political unrest are at the heart of Myanmar's human trafficking crisis, which has only grown more severe over recent years. The economic collapse, brought on by the pandemic and political crisis, has exacerbated the level of human trafficking and the need for non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and other not-for-profit organizations like Eden to fill this void and provide essential support to victims of human trafficking and sexual exploitation.
Continuing to operate and pivot our approach through the dangers of the coup and pandemic, Eden's frontline teams reported a 300% increase in the women and girls being sold into sexual exploitation.
Today, Myanmar continues to face a humanitarian crisis that results in extremely high levels of desperation, vulnerability and susceptibility to human trafficking and exploitation. This is particularly affecting Myanmar’s young women and girls, as criminals seek to take advantage of their desperation and the general lawlessness in the country. In January 2023, the UN reported that in Myanmar, 17.6 million people (almost a third of the population) needed humanitarian aid, an increase of 1,770% since before the pandemic.
Can you explain the different programs and interventions provided by Eden to rescue and rehabilitate victims of trafficking and exploitation?
Eden's innovative anti-trafficking programs are targeted toward reducing vulnerability to trafficking and raising awareness of trafficking trends while simultaneously working to rescue & restore trafficked women and girls.
• Outreach:
Eden Outreach teams make weekly visits to red-light districts, vulnerable communities and trafficking hubs. We also work with partner organizations that refer survivors of trafficking to Eden for healing and empowerment. Our teams identify trafficking victims, provide rapid HIV testing, communicate messages of hope and opportunity and gift the women we meet a Committed necklace with a gold love heart pendant. With this pendent we share messages of hope and a plan for escape with women who felt like there was no rescue coming.
• Drop-in centres:
In 2021, Eden recorded a 300% increase in the women and girls being sold into sexual exploitation. Eden realized that the existing program needed to expand its reach and impact in order to support this significant increase in women and girls who had been trafficked or were at high risk of trafficking. They needed to have access to humanitarian support, health care, trauma counselling, vocational training, and empowerment.
As a result, Eden opened its first drop-in centre in one of Yangon's largest red-light districts. After only a few weeks, 20 to 30 women were coming to the centre every day for support; many of them were victims of sexual violence, abuse, and trafficking, while others were women and young girls who had been pressured into street prostitution as a result of the collapse of the economy and social structures in Myanmar.
Following the success of the first drop-in centre, Eden started up three more drop-in centres in Yangon, and Northern and Eastern Shan State.
This drop-in centre program has proven to be highly effective in combating the increasing trend of survival sex and trafficking, as women and girls are given an opportunity to learn new skills, have reduced symptoms of PTSD, increased resilience and empowerment, and find safe employment or start their own enterprises.
Eden Provides the following vocational training programs at the Eden Drop-in centres:
• Hair & beauty training
• Sewing/tailoring
• Financial literacy & saving
• Nail art
• Permaculture and gardening
• Small business training
In addition, Eden also trains women and girls in jewellery and macrame making. Women who are employed in Eden’s jewellery making earn a full-time wage making the beautiful jewellery that funds our programs. As people purchase Eden jewellery it helps the women and girls to pursue job training in their area of interest and attain the financial literacy needed to save and invest in their future.
• Emergency shelters:
The emergency shelter is essential for rescuing human trafficking victims and giving them a secure location where victim protection and trauma counselling can be provided. Shelter services play an important role in the overall effort to interrupt human trafficking criminal networks. Shelters allow women to participate in the rehabilitation process in a safe and supported environment. Eden’s shelter services are flexible to address a range of needs and enable beneficiaries to access these services. Eden keeps the length of time in the residential program to a minimum in order to reduce institutionalization and dependency. The shelter's goal is for emergency provision of victim protection and counselling.
• Trauma counselling:
The cornerstone of Eden’s program is Trauma Focused-Cognitive Behavioural Counselling and creative therapies. Trauma Focused-Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (TF-CBT) is a psychotherapeutic model that integrates elements of cognitive-behavioural, humanistic attachment family, and empowerment therapies into a treatment designed to address the unique needs of trafficking victims with PTSD and other problems related to traumatic life events. TF-CBT is identified as a best-practice treatment and is an exemplary evidence-based program for treating individuals who have experienced trauma.
Individual TF-CBT sessions are held at least once a week with beneficiaries. Eden beneficiaries show a 95% decrease in PTSD symptoms after three months of trauma counselling. As PTSD is directly correlated with the repetition of traumatic experiences like trafficking, this directly lowers the risk of re-trafficking.
• Economic empowerment
Once a rescued woman is restored to health, well-being, and work, we find that she creates a ripple effect throughout her community. Each beneficiary supports an average of 4.2 people, which means entire families’ lives are changed by your support!
How does Eden identify and locate victims? What strategies or partnerships are in place to ensure the safety and success of rescue operations?
For 20 years, Eden has been reaching out to individuals in red-light districts, trafficking hubs, and vulnerable communities in multiple cities across Southeast Asia via our outreach teams. Over these years, our incredible frontline teams have positively impacted the lives of thousands of individuals, changing the trajectory of their future and that of their families and communities. We are constantly grateful for, and encouraged by, the dedication and bravery of our outreach teams who weekly go out into the darkest of places and situations and shine a light of hope; a light so powerful that it cannot be smothered or overcome.
In 2023, a total of 4341 trafficking survivors were reached on outreach in Myanmar through Eden’s mobile clinic, gift distribution, emergency support, impact counselling, and drop-in centre referrals. Through Eden, these survivors can receive trafficking-prevention awareness training, assistance with avoiding future debt, and HIV awareness training, as well as referrals to the Eden drop-in centre and counselling.
Does Eden engage in any preventive measures, such as community education or awareness campaigns, to address the root causes of human trafficking? If so, how effective have these initiatives been?
Eden works to stop trafficking at its source. We run regular awareness and prevention training in at-risk communities and in the Eden drop-in centres through monthly awareness meetings. Our hope is that together we can protect young girls and women from ever experiencing the trauma of sexual exploitation and equip those communities to identify bride traffickers.
In 2023, 2416 trafficking survivors attended interactive awareness programs across our drop-in centres. In this space our team raised awareness on subjects such as human trafficking, nutrition, trauma, stress management, and increasing resilience.
Additionally, our drop-in centre model means that we not only educate and work to limited trafficking vulnerability, we can also monitor trafficking trends and criminal activity to ensure that our model and programs address the current and most pressing needs.
How can people get involved with Eden's work? Are there volunteering opportunities or ways to support the organization financially?
There are many ways people can partner with Eden and support the vital work we do. Volunteering your time, spreading awareness of the issue of human trafficking and the situation in Myanmar, telling people about Eden and purchasing Eden jewellery – these are all great ways you can support our work.
Additionally, 100% of funds donated to Eden Australia are used on the frontline in Myanmar to facilitate our vital work. Eden Australia is registered as a charity with the Australian Charities and Not-for-Profits commission (ACNC) and as a Public Benevolent Institution with Deductible Gift Recipient status. Donations of $2 or more to Eden Australia (ABN: 68 625 847 403) are tax deductible in Australia. Please contact us via au_info@thisisden.org
What message would you like to convey to our readers who may not be aware of the seriousness and prevalence of human trafficking, and how they can make a difference in combating this issue?
In 2024, human trafficking remains the fastest growing criminal industry in the world, generating over USD$150 billion in profit annually. Myanmar's vulnerabilities to trafficking have intensified due to COVID-19 and the 2021 military coup, leading to a surge in victims and evolving criminal methods impacting individuals globally.
At Eden, we respond with boldness, leveraging our freedoms to advocate for the voiceless. We venture into the most challenging areas, illuminating darkness with hope and love, amplifying awareness, and believing that even minor public awareness can create significant change.
We can all make a difference by committing to pray for justice and breakthrough, we can be intentional in learning more about the realities of this gross human rights violation and we can use our spheres of influence and freedom to speak up for those that cannot speak for themselves.
Have you noticed or seen any increased interest for support Eden due to the stir caused by the ‘Sound of Freedom’ movie released last year?
The release of Sound of Freedom certainly stimulated an increase in discussion regarding the reality of human trafficking and exploitation. It is indeed our hope that, with an increase in awareness we would also see an increase in positive action and support of organisations such as Eden.
