Humans Of New York Raises $2 Million To End Bonded Labour In Pakistan

[JANASENA]

Humans of New York, a massively popular photography blog, which was touring Pakistan, has managed to raise $2,000,000 from 70 ,000 people in fewer than  4 days to help social activist Syeda Ghulam Fatima to end bonded labour in Pakistan. “There is no better way to impact the battle against modern slavery than empowering one of its most forceful opponents,” Humans of New York had written a day before, and people from around the world donated as much as they could to help Fatima.

This is one of the best examples of when charity crowdfunding and donations can be very impactful. Crowdfunding’s efficiency and reliability lies in the fact that it is not reliant on the magnitude of individual contributions – even if each person donates Rs. 10 to a cause, if 1 lakh people donate the same amount, the venture can garner Rs. 10 lakh. Take the case of Fatima – the average amount donated by each donor was less than $25.

 

The crowdfunding model is comprised of three factors: the project initiator who asks for funds, the individuals or groups who provide the funds, and the mediator responsible for bringing the former two parties together. After corporate crowdfunding, charity crowdfunding is catching on, especially through NGOs at work in Africa and the Middle-east. Another novel new phenomenon is the advent of crowdfunding scientific research. In 2013, the crowdfunding industry grew to be $5.1 billion worldwide.

Crowdfunding in India is active, but India does not particularly have a culture of philanthropy. According to research, the most popular form of giving donations among Indians is to religious institutions, and not charity organizations. According to the World Giving Index 2014 produced by the Charity Aid Foundation, India was placed 69 in a list of 134 countries ranked based on the amount of money donated that year relative to income gained.

The story of Fatima and thousands of others like her who have benefited from crowdfunding is motivating to us all.

We salute Humans of New York and other platforms which help millions of victims of human rights abuses, rape, labour etc. by empowering those who can do something about it. Fatima lives in Pakistan, but much of the funding she received came from Western countries – crowdfunding unites the world behind a common cause. We appeal to the Indian public to support charity crowdfunding by donating as much as they can – even if it is Rs. 10. Together, we can.

 

Humans of New York

Arts/Humanities Website · 14,644,413 Likes

 · August 15 at 11:36am · Edited · 

I want to conclude the Pakistan series by spotlighting a very special change agent who is working to eradicate one of the nation’s most pressing social ills. Over 20,000 brick kilns operate in Pakistan, supported by millions of workers, and the system is largely underpinned by an extremely close cousin of slavery—bonded labor. Throughout rural Pakistan, illiterate and desperate laborers are tricked into accepting small loans in exchange for agreeing to work at brick kilns for a small period of time. But due to predatory terms, their debt balloons, growing larger as time goes on, with no possibility of repayment, until these laborers are condemned to work for the rest of their lives for no compensation. If the laborer dies, the debt is passed on to his or her children. The practice is illegal. But due to the extreme power and wealth of brick kiln owners, the law is often unenforced in rural areas. It is estimated that well over one million men, women, and children are trapped in this modern feudalist system.

Meet Syeda Ghulam Fatima. Described as a modern day Harriet Tubman, Fatima has devoted her life to ending bonded labor. She has been shot, electrocuted, and beaten numerous times for her activism. Quite literally, she places herself between the workers and their owners. The organization she leads, the Bonded Labour Liberation Front, is small but determined. It is working to set up Freedom Centers throughout rural Pakistan so that every bonded laborer has access to advocacy and legal aid. Fatima operates on a very small budget. 

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(Lahore, Pakistan)

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